7 CES prepares for wildfire season

  • Published
  • By Kim Walton
  • 7th Bomb Wing natural resources manager
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Winter months in West Texas bring with it weather conditions conducive to wildfire. Heavy fuel loading from previous summer's growth becomes dormant. Low relative humidity and dry north winds set the stage for wildfire.

A carelessly discarded cigarette, lightning strike, squirrels interacting with a power line or wildfire encroaching from off base are just a few common sources of ignition.

These cool season conditions are also optimum times to mitigate the risk of wildfire with "prescribed fire." A prescription burn is conducted by trained professionals adhering to a prescribed burn plan that identifies specific weather parameters of temperature, humidity, fuel moisture, and wind speed and direction, to achieve a specific purpose such as fire hazard reduction or ecological stimulation.

In 2004 the Air Force instructed all installations with unimproved lands that present a wildfire hazard to develop and implement a Wildland Fire Management Plan. Since that time, the 7th Civil Engineer Squadron has developed a Wildland Fire Management program managed by the natural resource office and implemented by the fire department, utilizing fireguards maintained by the heavy equipment shop.

This inter-disciplinary team approach has proven effective in reducing hazardous fuel loading in high risk areas of the base. Perimeter fireguards are a first-line defense from off base encroachment of wildfire.

Interior fireguards are established to break up large tracts of open space into more manageable areas. Maintaining fireguards, mowing and conducting prescribed burns to reduce hazardous fuels are key management tools used by 7 CES to reduce the risk of wildfire.

Many times planned burns are called off due to short term changes in forecasts most often caused by a slight shift in predicted wind direction. When conditions are favorable for a burn, the base marquees will have a notice posted the day of the planned burn.
For more information, call Kim Walton at (325) 696-4379 or Floyd Jones at (325) 696-5223.