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The national database of state and local wildfire hazard mitigation programs
serves as a clearinghouse of information about nonfederal policies and
programs that seek to reduce the risk of loss of life and property through
the reduction of hazardous fuels on private lands. If
you would like to submit a program to the national wildfire programs database,
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Title: |
Anchorage Mitigation Projects -- 2001
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Type: |
Fuelbreaks
Demonstration projects
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Jurisdiction: |
City/town
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State: |
Alaska
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Program Description: |
Spruce Bark Beetle Infestation
Due to the infestation of Anchorage's Boreal Forest by the Spruce Bark Beetle, heavy fuel loads of dead and dying Spruce trees exist throughout the city. In 1999, under a grant from FEMA, the City of Anchorage removed dead trees from area parks and subdivisions, created a 100 foot wide firebreak around Hillside subdivisions, and cleared dead trees along park trails. Each year Anchorage has continued the work of removing the dead and dying trees to reduce fuel loads in populated areas, and to prepare for potential wildfire.
2001 Mitigation Projects
In 2001, mitigation projects were conducted in the following areas: Hilltop Fuel Break, Spirit Park, Spenser Loop, North Bivouac, and Little Rabbit Creek, with a brush lot and chipping available at Turnagain Arm. Project descriptions are available on the Anchorage Wildfire Projects website.
Hilltop Fuel Break
In the Hilltop Fuel Break, a 150 foot wide fuel break was created with an adjacent Fuel Treatment Zone of from 300 to 800 feet wide, stretching over one mile long from Far North Bicentennial Park to Prospect Heights Subdivision. In the Fuel Break area, all spruce were removed to reduce the threat of a crown fire in the vicinity of the subdivision. In the fuel treatment area, dead and dying spruce were removed to reduce fuel loads. The work was accomplished by the Mat Su crew, a group of 20 Emergency Fire Fighters who are trained in wildfire suppression and tree felling. The large trees were hauled to local mills, and the slash was piled and burned on site.
Spirit Park
Spirit Park, a small 2.5 acre park, was once heavily forested, but now, due to the spruce bark beetle, Spirit Park was left with dangerous fuel loads. The Mat Su crew spent one day removing all the dead and dying spruce trees by hand, and planted 70 spruce seedlings in their place.
Little Rabbit Creek Bluff Park
The south end of Little Rabbit Creek Bluff Park lies between homes. The Mat Su crew began work felling dead and dying trees in this area to reduce fuel loads. The work in this park will continue in 2002, cutting affected trees and burning the slash.
Firewise Workshop
In addition to the above mitigation projects, City of Anchorage held a Firewise Workshop for residents, to educate them about the need to create defensible space around their homes, and other wildfire safety precautions.
Slash Disposal
The Wildfire Management Office and Girdwood Fire Department provided a brush lot for residents clearing defensible space at Turnagain Arm. On two weekends in July and August, free chipping of brush was available, and the resulting chips were used by homeowners for landscaping, and on Girdwood trails.
Contact Information
For more information, contact Sue Rodman at (907) 267-4902, or contact her at her E-mail address: [email protected].
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