by Frank Riley | May 5, 2017 | Articles, Fire Adapted Communities, Fire Prevention, Firewise
The earliest European settlers to North America recorded indigenous peoples’ use of fire for clearing land, hunting and gathering activities, and in warfare. However, post-Columbus settlers did not understand fire as a natural process, and sought to suppress...
by Frank Riley | Mar 31, 2017 | Articles, Fire Adapted Communities, Fire Prevention, Firewise, North Georgia
Spring is the time for us to emerge from our winter hibernation and start cleaning our yards to get rid of all the debris, leaves, limbs, and pine straw that has collected since last fall. The usual method to do this is to pile it in the yard, light a match and watch...
by Frank Riley | Mar 28, 2017 | Articles, Fire Adapted Communities, Fire Prevention, Firewise
For more information about Wildfires in the South, visit USDA Forest Service, Region 8 at...
by Frank Riley | Mar 3, 2017 | Articles, Fire Adapted Communities, Fire Prevention, Firewise
These days wildfire flames consume many of the earth’s forests more frequently than ever before. Now, a study from Princeton University suggests that trees in traditionally fire-prone areas have a competitive edge for survival: thicker bark, which helps shield their...
by Frank Riley | Dec 30, 2016 | Articles, Fire Adapted Communities, Fire Prevention, Firewise, North Georgia
Recently, I spent 6 days at the FEMA National Fire Academy in Maryland in a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) class, (I graduated!). A CWPP is a written plan or road map that a community uses to prepare for wildfires that require local resources to protect the...
by Frank Riley | Dec 23, 2016 | Articles, Fire Adapted Communities, Fire Prevention, Firewise, North Georgia, Ready Set Go
The following is first-hand testimony from a retired firefighter who survived the Gatlinburg fire because he had “Firewised” the home in anticipation of the fire that he knew would come eventually, and it finally happened on November 28th: The fire blazed all about...
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