There has long been a lot of conversation surrounding the existence of wildfires and the damage they cause landscapes and surrounding environments such as the air and possible water sources, etc. Here in the United States, wildfires were of massive concern and all over the news on the West Coast. In fact, just this month (December, 2017), fires surged through Sonoma County, California devastating 28,000 acres of land, causing over 20,000 evacuations, killing at least 17 people, and leaving widespread devastation in it’s wake. These fires are not uncommon.
Why does this matter?
Well, wildfires can be much more widespread in scope than just the immediately effected area. For instance, when vegetation that provides food, heat, water, clean air, lumber, and more uses gets is lost in these tragic infernos, it’s inevitable that surrounding communities, and far-reaching places will feel the effect of these losses. For one, it’s an obvious net loss, and, consequently, resources need to be pulled in from elsewhere to make up for the loss.
So, the question is, how do we minimize damage of these freak occurrences? Is it possible?
The short is, “absolutely.”
But it’s a study. And a serious one at that. It’s something the requires taking a close look at landscapes and the inherent makeup of land that is more often subject to wildfires than others. For instance, wildfires thrive off of dry and arid conditions. So, an obvious first line of thought is in the soil – which of course is something we’re very into here at Global Environmental Solutions. Not only does the soil play a direct role into the fertileness of vegetation and of “life” in general, it also can play an important role in spread of fires.
For instance, making an attempt at maintaining a level of moisture in soil can help retard the spread of wildfire. This can be achieved with an application of products such as our DirtGlue® soil stabilization solution which aides in “compacting” soil and keeping it bound together more succinctly to hold in moisture and cancel out pockets that can further dry out surrounding terrain. Our DirtGlue hydromulch blend solution can also help lock moisture in and aide in the development of more fertile environments for the spread of vegetation which can consequently add more tempered degrees of humidity and moisture to there air and soil – which, as we know, fire does not like.
Another study is in how a terrain slopes and slides. By building up terrain in areas you can legitimately change the course of potential wildfires, which will greatly decrease spread and saturation of flames – giving firefighters more of a fighting chance of remediating a threat.
As is evident, at the heart of all this talk about wildfires is the effect such a development can have on an ecosystem. A healthy ecosystem is vital to sustain life. Minimizing damage by generating preventative measure is a thought worth pondering. And, if you are hit with this type of devastation, getting an ecosystem back up and running at a healthy rate is a must. Our solutions can help you germinate and get vegetation back in production, which will help pump life back into an existing ecosystem.
If you’ve put thought into it, give us a call to learn how we can help facilitate stronger, healthier results. If you haven’t thought about it, now’s the time – we’re here to help consult you through the ins, outs, and potential throes of wildfires.