This is the driest year for which there are recorded measurements in our area. Plant moisture levels are now about what they would normally be in August. These are facts that should get our attention. Fire spreads faster in dry conditions. USFS Division Chief Norm Walker says that firefighters have less chance of success on initial attack with vegetation this dry, in addition to which they get no help at night.

Many factors shape wildfire, but the only one we can do anything about is the fuel on our property. The Forest Service, NRCS and CALFIRE have worked hard to eliminate threats in the periphery of our community, but the interior is up to us. Whether a fire can establish itself in the community is largely determined by how we keep our homes and lots.

Americans have long cherished our property rights, which guarantee the owners right to use and enjoy their property, and to dispose of as they see fit. These rights are often thought to be the basis of individual liberty, so they are not taken lightly. Yet Americans have rarely questioned that these rights are subject to limits when public health and safety are at risk. We can’t turn our homes into fireworks factories, no matter how much we love 4th of July displays, and we can’t dump toxic chemicals on our land because it is so much easier than having it disposed of properly.

If a home or lot on the mountain is unabated, odds are good that it is a public safety hazard. It is equivalent to assembling the fuel for a very large bonfire, like the ones at college pep rallies in the fall. It is not as obvious a threat, but that perception will change when a cigarette butt is tossed nearby, or a fire is climbing the mountain. Our laws reflect this view, which is why the fire department inspects properties and fines owners out of compliance.

Some people like thick forest right up to their homes; it feels cozy. Some find pine needles on their roofs and gutters charming (a kind of thatched roof effect), and some love Manzanita so much they are loath to take even a branch, despite being surrounded by thick groves of it. We all have different tastes. Yet our tastes do not entitle us to pose a threat to public safety. Pine needles may have their charm, but they light easily and will carry a fire quickly to your house. And if your house goes, it could easily start a fire at your neighbors. That’s where the public issue comes in. All our homes have a lot of lumber in them, and if they get going they threaten all the homes around them. We may personally have come to terms with losing our house with everything in it, but those are terms that our neighbors have probably not agreed to.

Owning property on this mountain entails a special responsibility, which might be summarized as “Enjoy the beauty; manage the fire risk”. This reflects the reality of our environment; to deny it would be delusional, like thinking our cars will run without oil. So we at the Fire Safe Council invite everyone to accept, and care for, our beautiful, fire prone mountain, and wisely reduce the fuel around our homes.