August 28, 2003 Vol. 1 No. 1

A New Resource for Wildland Fire Information

In This Issue

Featured On-Air Graphic

Featured On-Air Graphic

The image above shows a map of forest density for the United States. Click on the image above for TV-ready versions of the US, CA, AZ and CO.

Recent Fire Image: 8/27/03
Click on image for TV-ready versions and more information.

Fire Image Archive

On-Air Message Center

Click below to view online samples of PSAs from the Firewise Communities program.  You may request copies of these and other PSAs in a variety of formats directly from Firewise.

Note: Each of the samples above is in Real Media format.  If you don't have the Real Media player, you can download it here.

Useful Links

Upcoming Events

National Public Lands Day – September 20, 2003

Firewise Communities Workshop – October 15-16, 2003 East Bay, CA

Arizona Firewise Communities 2003 – October 16, 2003 Tucson, AZ

Forest Products Week – Oct 19 to 25, 2003
Dear Television Weathercaster:

Welcome to the first issue of EnvirocastTM – Forest and Wildland Fires 2003.  Thanks to a unique partnership among the USDA Forest Service, the National Environmental Education & Training Foundation (NEETF) and StormCenter Communications, Inc., you now have access to a comprehensive, easy-to-use, newsletter resource. Instead of having to mine the Internet for some of the latest information about forest and wildland fires, we’ve provided it all for you, including:

Your mission, as weathercaster and “science ambassador” at your station is to share this information with your viewers both on air and on-line. Each issue of this newsletter will be centered around a theme designed to educate and inform your viewers about a specific aspect of forest and wildland fires. And we welcome your feedback, as well as information about on-air and on-line usage, so we can make this service an even more valuable resource for you.

Living With Our Forests
The 2003 fire season is now more than half over and we’ve been pretty lucky. Even with tinder dry conditions over most of the west, the forest acreage lost to fires in 2003 remains below the losses of the past 3 fire seasons and even below the long-term average. Yet, every day there are forest and wild fires ablaze across the western U.S. We are not alone. Canada, Europe and parts of Asia have also been especially hard hit this year.

Read More About Living With Our Forests>>

Tips for Your Viewers

People can help to reduce their risk from forest and wildland fires . . . 
What can your viewers do to prepare their homes for fire season?

They can use this interactive tool to find out.

As fire season continues across the West, it's important that your viewers know what to do to protect their homes even before a fire threatens.  Here are some tips we've adapted from our friends at Firewise:
Defend Your Space

1. Make sure your home has enough Defensible Space.

  • The goal of Defensible Space is to create a vegetation-free zone around your home. This gives firefighters working room to put out fires and it also helps to keep fires away. Thirty feet of LEAN, CLEAN and GREEN space is recommended (more is better when it comes to larger fires):

    Lean – Prune shrubs and cut back tree branches, especially within 15 feet of your chimney.

    Clean – Remove all dead plant material from around your home and from your roof; this includes dead leaves, dry grass and even stacked firewood.

    Green – Plant fire-resistant vegetation that stays healthy and green year-round.

2. Use Fire-Resistant Materials on Your Home

  • Your home, and any structures or attachments to it, should be made of fire-resistant materials, if possible. This includes decks, porches and fences.

3. Have a Disaster Plan

  • Now is the time to plan for a fire emergency. Take a few minutes to discuss family safety actions (some are listed below). Remember that with fire, you may only have a moment's notice.

    • Post your local firefighting agency’s telephone number in a visible place
    • Decide where you will go and how you will get there. Try to have two escape routes out of your home and out of your neighborhood
    • Have firefighting tools available: shovel, rake, axe, handsaw or chainsaw, and a 2 gallon water bucket
    • Maintain an adequate water source
    • Include pets in your plan
    • Practice family fire drills
Forest Facts
  • About one-third of the United States is covered by forests.
  • There are 38,547,000 acres of forestland in California, which cover about 38.6% of the state's land; 56.5% of this forestland is government-owned.  The amount of forest burned from 2000 to 2002 is nearly equal to half of all the forestland in California.

  • There are 19,926,000 acres of forestland in Arizona, which cover about 27% of the state's land; 58.8% of this forestland is government-owned.  The amount of forest burned from 2000 to 2002 is nearly equal to all the forestland in Arizona.

  • There are 21,270,000 acres of forestland in Colorado, which cover about 32% of the state's land; 72.1% of this forestland is government-owned.  The amount of forest burned from 2000 to 2002 is nearly equal to 90% of all the forestland in Colorado.

  • One mature tree absorbs approximately 13 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. For every ton of wood a forest grows, it removes 1.47 tons of carbon dioxide from the air and replaces it with 1.07 tons of oxygen.
   
 

StormCenter Communications, Inc.

USDA Forest Service

The National Environmental Education & Training Foundation
   
  Envirocast Forest and Wildland Fires 2003 is a joint project of the USDA Forest Service, the National Environmental Education & Training Foundation (NEETF) and StormCenter Communications, Inc. The views expressed in this document are solely those of NEETF and StormCenter Communications, Inc. The USDA Forest Service does not endorse any products, commercial services or links mentioned in this newsletter.