The Rosland Road Fire has provided a strong example of how fuels treatments like thinning, mowing and prescribed fires help reduce the intensity of a wildfire.
On the left-hand side of the photo a crown fire moved through the area during the Rosland Road fire causing significant damage to the forest structure. On the right-hand side of the photo, which had been treated in the past 2 -3 years, the fire dropped from a crown fire to a ground fire, maintaining forest structure, trees and allowing firefighters an opportunity to more effectively fight the fire.
Fuels treatments don’t always prevent a fire from happening, but this is a clear example of how they do help maintain healthier and more sustainable forests if there is a wildfire. In addition, these treatments clearly reduced the threat of the wildfire for homeowners.
