“If you are not cultivating burned or tilled land, nature will seed the ground for you. You want to avoid the spread of noxious species like star thistle, an annual weed that can grow extremely tall,” says Cori Carlson, president of Napa Pasture Protein in Napa. Grazing animals can assist with many of Cal Fire’s suggestions regarding vegetation, including managing annual grass growth, reducing brush and creating vertical space between trees and ladder fuels like grass. “Our services make it possible for businesses to preserve oak forests and tree cover in general by eliminating fuels that create high-intensity fires,” says Carlson. A combination of grazing animals and hand crews is also effective, says Johnnie White Jr., partner in Piña Vineyard Management in Rutherford. “We offer both types of services, often in combination. People can see the risks that animals cannot. They can also perform additional tasks like wood chipping. We often partner with teams from other entities, like neighborhood Fire Safe Councils. We’ve built fire breaks on ridges and built fire roads along the backs of properties to give fire crews access to isolated areas,” says White. The work is critical to ensure that if a fire starts on one property, firefighters can reach the spot where it is occurring. They can then put out the fire before it reaches other properties. Chappellet Winery, located on Pritchard Hill east of the Silverado Trail, sees reducing fire risk as an ongoing effort. “We’ve got two fire engines, a water truck, a trained team of eight employees, a trailer with fire hoses, fittings and nozzles and fire-retardant gel that coats brush and structure walls. That’s just the beginning,” says Chappellet. The business is in oak woodlands. This means the team regularly removes brush and downed limbs in the forests. They do this up to a
height of between 6 to 12 feet. “That way embers which fall from the canopy have little to burn when they hit the ground. We also expanded our defensible space around buildings to between 100 and 300 feet. In addition, we put sprinkler systems on top of the buildings, to wet the top and put out embers,” says Chappellet. The winery made so many upfront investments between 2018 and 2022 that it is now in a “maintenance phase.” This lower level of spending runs several hundred thousand dollars a year. “Anytime we think of something new, we evaluate it and consider adding it,” says Chappellet. One of Chappellet Winery’s two fire trucks, left, and the winery’s water truck on winery grounds in St. Helena. [Photo courtesy Chappellet Winery]
Discoveries from fire researchers
Fire researchers across the country are finding a property owner cannot pick and choose specific types of protections. “You need to do it all. Look at your property in a holistic way. Also consider the risks to and from your neighbors’ properties,” says Alexander Maranghides, fire protection engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Maryland. NIST conducts research in partnership with Cal Fire as well as other state and local entities across the U.S. NIST’s experiments show fire spreads like a domino. It establishes paths through a property by generating flames and embers. “You do not want flames hitting your structures. You also have to protect against embers,” says Maranghides. Taking such measures includes reducing materials for flames to consume and making sure openings like windows are secured and do not line up. It is also necessary to harden structures. “If you want to protect the interior of your structure from embers, use California state- rated vents to prevent embers from entering areas like the crawl space and attic,” says Maranghides. Accessory Dwelling Units and combustible sheds present concerns. “They will produce both flame and ember exposures. They can ignite vulnerable
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34 NorthBaybiz
December 2024
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