let it burn or save it

[Chainsaw_Willie]

Tree density in areas around here is very clearly way up from where it was before we started fighting fires.

It's pretty easy to see this if you know what to look for. In the area where we went camping last weekend the biggest trees by far are the Ponderosa Pines. Lots of big, beautiful specimens around, but they're fairly far apart. There are a few big Spruces as well. All the smaller trees are spruce and fir, and there's a lot of them and they're all crowded close together. None of the smaller trees are over about 70 years or so, most even younger than that. This area is now a fire hazard where it once was clearly much more open forest that could more easily survive a naturally occurring low intensity lightning triggered fire.

[iceman]

I understand fuel, maintenance and operational costs, but did you have to bring DBT into this?

^5

......

[Bunion 2020]

Reproduction rates are not the same in all areas. Some areas are exceedingly fast. In grass, you can have better vegetation conditions within 90 days after the fire. On the other hand, reproduction of a mature ponderosa pine forest is 100 to 200 years. Look at the fire scarring from the 2002 fires here - little tree growth yet.

Yeah I was discussing the forests around here, Lodge pole, Doug fir and some spruce.

The area I worked in Idaho was more Ponderosa and still returned pretty quickly from the black but it wasn't the same for 5- 10 years.

[The Dude]

Out of curiosity, how bad could the smoke damage be if the structure is saved yet surrounded by forest?

Living up on Mt. Evans, we've taken the precautions suggested, new metal roof, replaced the cedar siding with steel siding and replaced the deck with composite material. Surrounding the house, there is no tree within falling distance and we've been removing all the lodgepole, so I am confident that we've been as proactive as possible, shy of a high pressure sprinkler head that I want to install on the roof of the house, but I need the 10,000 gallon cistern installed first. But the comment about the smoke damage has concerned me, would the entire interior of the house (drywall & insulation) have to be removed or are we just talking about basic cleaning of the furniture and other contents of the house?

[flatlander#2]

I think it depends. If the fire came ripping from the parkway down the gulch, my house is about 2 miles down then up a little road. If it burned all of that with the smoke pouring toward my house, I think it would smell like camping a long time. When you go camping and sit around the fire for a few hours your shit smells like it-and that's not much smoke.

I suppose you could just toss the furniture out in the yard and have a big fucker of a bonfire. Why not, everything burned already. In fact that is an upside. If it happens I'm going to have rager bonfire keggers all winter.

But I'm sure your furniture, bedding, clothing and all of that would be a goner.

[stuckathuntermtn]

I think so matter which way the wind is blowing, your house will smell like a camp fire for the next millennium.

[uglymoney]

Hail alone causes much more damage than fire in colorado.

That is what I figured without actually knowing. And this is all private insurance right? Nobody is getting government handouts here except maybe fire protection money during huge fires? I don't know why people would care that some people are living in the woods anymore than anywhere else. Firefighters have to risk lives to save people in the city all the time.

[Pow4Brains]

why ban lake front property?

Because the lake could flood and drive up Insurance costs, for everyone.

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[flatlander#2]

Was talking to a volly fire guy at the parade in Evergreen Saturday. Asked him the question, he says they go out and look at houses that have poor mitigation, difficulty getting out, crazy fences that could make an exit a problem, etc. and pretty much decide if shit gets tricky they are a goner. I don't have a fence

[Cyber Cop]

The ash from these big fires can do a number on your house too, and you don't have to be that close. Then there are the monsoons and the flood debris.

[brice618]

Back when the opposite sex had anything to do with me I dated a hot shot fire fighter. She said that they would have mental lists of properties that are save-able from the standpoint of safety and how much owners seemed to prevent their property from burning in the first place. So I guess you could put up a big masonry fence and stack dead trees next to your house they'd skip it.

[keipow]

Back when the opposite sex had anything to do with me I dated a hot shot fire fighter.

i'm interested in pictures of said firefighter fighting fire with very little fire protection clothing on.

[Name Redacted]

I had a hard time recently finding homeowner's insurance for our house in Summit. I told one company to look at the google maps satellite view and see the hudge clear cut between our neighborhood and the forest, and the big golf course next to us. I'm pretty confident that we'd be good even if the whole mountain burned down. They were unconvinced...

On the other hand, our family has a cabin on Squaw pass near echo mountain and you can barely see it through all the trees. The forest up there is so thick, you can't even walk through it in many places. Crazy. Pretty sure that if it went up in flames almost every home up there would be a total loss.

[The Dude]

I had a hard time recently finding homeowner's insurance for our house in Summit. I told one company to look at the google maps satellite view and see the hudge clear cut between our neighborhood and the forest, and the big golf course next to us. I'm pretty confident that we'd be good even if the whole mountain burned down. They were unconvinced...

On the other hand, our family has a cabin on Squaw pass near echo mountain and you can barely see it through all the trees. The forest up there is so thick, you can't even walk through it in many places. Crazy. Pretty sure that if it went up in flames almost every home up there would be a total loss.

Where abouts up on Squaw Pass? I live in the Blue Valley area which has lots of summer cabins scattered throughout.