Fuel ladder
A fuel ladder or ladder fuel is a firefighting term for live or dead vegetation that allows a fire to climb up from the landscape or forest floor into the tree canopy.[1][2] Common ladder fuels include tall grasses, shrubs, and tree branches, living and dead. The removal of fuel ladders is part of defensible space 'firescaping' practices.
Fire precautions
[edit]Potential fuel ladders should be removed to reduce the risk of fire bridging the gap to the canopy. To remove the ladder requires pruning any low limbs up to a minimum of 2.5 m (8 ft), and potentially as high as 5 m (16 ft). The required height depends on how low the branch tips hang, the steepness of slope, and the height and spacing of other nearby vegetation.[citation needed]
The desired result is to create a situation in which a low-burning fire could burn to the trunk of a tree, which is protected by its bark, without having thinner, more flammable branches, leaves or needles within easy reach of the fire.[citation needed]
Other fuel ladders
[edit]Apart from tree limbs, anything that would help that fire move up into the tree canopy is a fuel ladder. This includes shrubs and even tall grass or weeds. Non-vegetation fuel sources such as woodpiles, wooden fenceposts and structures should also be considered.[citation needed]
The intent is to maintain a break in vertical and horizontal continuity so that, if for example a woodpile caught fire, it would not be positioned next to shrubs or directly under trees that could then easily catch fire.[citation needed]
See also
[edit]- Fire control
- Defensible space (fire control)
- Fire ecology
- Firefighting
- Limbing
- Wildfire
- Wildfire suppression
References
[edit]- ^ CAL FIRE - Fuels Treatment, CAL FIRE
- ^ Ladder fuel, FireWords Glossary of Fire Science Terminology, version 1.0.2
External links
[edit]- CAL-FIRE: Homepage + Links Archived 2010-05-10 at the Wayback Machine Official CA State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection website.
- CA State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection: "General Guidelines for Creating Defensible Space"
- SBCFD Homepage + Links 'Defending Your Home and Hazard Reduction' - Official Santa Barbara County Fire Department Website
- Santa Barbara County Fire Department: "Landscape 'Firescape' Checklist"
