Ready, Set, Cut! Rethinking Tree Management Within

 Anchor Point develops and supports sound wildland fire
solutions, from planning through implementation
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Community Wildfire Protection Plans
Interface Response Plans
Fire Behavior Modeling
Time Until Arrival Studies
National Hazard & Risk Model (No-HARM)
Forest Management for Fuel Reduction and Forest Health
 Defensible Space
 Fuels Reduction and Forest Health
Why?
Defensible Space Guidelines For Homeowners Are Often:
 Too Vague
 Inconsistent With Proper Tree Care Standards
 Ignore Aesthetic and Emotional Reaction to Trees
 One Size Fits All Recommendations For Trees
What?
 Fuel Reduction Within Defensible Space
 Pruning of Trees (Crown Reductions, Crown Raising, Branch Removal)
 Alternatives to Tree Cutting
 Structural Defects of Trees
 The Language of Defensible Space
 ANSI Standards
 The primary goal for Firewise
landscaping is fuel reduction
– limiting the level of
flammable vegetation and
materials surrounding the
home. This includes the
entire „home ignition zone‟
which extends up to 200 feet
in high hazard areas. (Ready,
Set, Go!)
 Zone 1: 15‟ – 30‟
 Zone 2: 30‟ – 70‟
 Zone 3: Out to 100‟*
*150‟ in California
 Trim tree canopies regularly to keep their branches a minimum of
10’ from structures and other trees.
 Trim tree canopies regularly to keep their branches a minimum of
10’ from other trees.
 Leave 30’ between clusters of two to three trees, or 20 feet
between individual trees.
 Trim trees up to 6’ to 10’ feet from ground.
Ready, Set, Go! (International Fire Chiefs Association)
Anything problematic with that recommendation here?
Branches?
Intertwined
branches
Before

After
The selective removal of branches and stems to decrease the height and/or
spread of a tree.
Avoid indiscriminant removal of branches or sheering-over crowns
Epicormic
Sprouts
Scaffold Branches
with Exposed
Heartwood
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Consider species and plant health
before reducing the canopy
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More decay can enter the tree
following reduction than following
removal cuts
12” Diameter
8” Diameter
 “Limb” up this tree 6‟, 8‟, or 10‟ ?
 Heartwood provides structural strength and
infection-restriction
 Poor Live Crown Ratio:
Sun Scald, Frost Cracks, Lack of
Carbohydrates/Starch
Try not to remove more
than ¼ of lower crown in a
year
Prune/Raise trees to height
of 8‟ or 1/3 of the live crown
ratio
Before
Objectives:
 Remove ladder fuels
 Maintain aesthetics
After
Results:
 Ladder fuels reduced
 Aesthetics maintained
 Pruning to raise (when
there is no imminent threat
from fire) requires proper
pruning cuts be made –
preferably outside the
branch collar.
Limbing…
Pruning…
 “Pruning is what I do when I have time to carefully remove branches from a tree.
Limbing…is what I do when there is an immediate threat from fire and have to
reduce ladder fuels. The first is done carefully. The second will probably kill your
trees.”
Dave Zader, Wildland Fire Management Coordinator
City of Boulder
 Rock Edging can reduce rate of ground fire spread
Chaparral in California
Aspen in Colorado
 So tree management goals and objectives can change
within defensible spaces…
Healthy tree, right?
Not so much….
Co-Dominant
Stems
Cankers
Decay
Included
Bark
 American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A300 Standards for
Tree Care Operations, are the accepted industry standards for tree
care practices in the United States. They cover:
 Tree Removal/Felling
 Rigging Operations
 Fertilization
 Spraying
 Lightning Protection
 Pruning
Following ANSI Standards can prevent poor tree care/maintenance
Excessive branch removal can harm/kill trees
Improper pruning cuts can lead to tree decline and potential hazards “widow
makers”
Consider crown reductions
Not all species react the same way to fire
Aesthetics matter
ANSI Standards can prevent poor tree care