Wildfires are devastating for a multitude of reasons. Families, homes and properties are impacted by these blazes in a wide variety of ways. One way to help protect what you love is to build a trail as it can become an effective way to create a resistance to fire. For those of our clients with trails learn how you can keep your trail in shape for the upcoming high fire season.
In our experience in building trails, we have found that they can be incredibly helpful when battling a wildfire blaze. It may provide an added layer of security when a potential wildfire is coming too close for comfort.
Fire Resistant Trails
So how does a trail become fire resistant? First, all fires need to consume oxygen or fuel of some kind (think dried or dead plant life, brush, or leaves) and if neither of these are present, the fire will simply go out. It no longer has what it needs to survive and keep burning. When you have a trail on your property, it creates a ribbon where there is no fuel present. Therefore, as the fire approaches, it will starve and go out as it reaches the trail. You can see evidence of this in the photo of the charred land to the right, the trail where the flames ceased, and the greenery on the left.
In the Glass Fire of 2020, the flames came almost up to our client's family home, however when it reached the trail it stopped in its tracks. In a previous blog post, Are You Protected From Fire, we shared a video where you can see exactly how our trail helped to save their home and help firefighters access the area to fight the fire. In this particular fire alone, our trails help save eight homes.
Regular Maintenance Helps Increase Fire Resistance
In order to make our trails more fire resistant, we clear between five and ten feet of the brush on either side of the trail. We use a tool called a masticator to chew it up so that the fuel break is about fifteen feet wide. In doing so, it increases the chances that the fire won’t jump across the trail and onto the other side.
To keep our trails as effective as possible, we encourage our current trail owners to regularly maintain their trail or call us to do it for them. In general, we suggest using a backpack blower and blow the leaves and pine needles off the trail about twice a year. In addition, trimming back brush annually to maintain that fifteen foot width is important.
Lesser Known Benefit of Having a Trail
Did you know that a trail may be the most cost-effective investment? Properties with a private and professionally built trail adds value to the overall cost of a home. Thus, resulting in a higher price point when it comes time to sell.
Contact Us
If you or someone you know is interested in adding a trail to enjoy and protect their family and home, please share our contact information and we will put together a custom plan. If you already have one of our trails on your property, let us know if you'd like to be a part of our trail maintenance program, in which we keep your trail in great shape all year. Give us a call at (530) 852-5155, email bryan@trailscapeinc.com or fill out this quick form and we will get in touch with you to get you on our schedule.
Would you be interested in having your trail maintained for free? Any time you refer a friend, family member, or colleague who contracts a build with us, we would like to gift you this service as our way of saying thank you for trusting us.
Randy Martin Expert & Exclusive California Trail Builder Hundreds of Miles of Trails Designed and Constructed for Private Land Owners
CONTACT: randy@trailscape.net | (530) 852-5155 CONNECT: LinkedIn | Sign up for our monthly newsletter to get timely info, tips and more. LEARN: www.trailscape.net | Request a custom trail & firebreak plan here.