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Wildfire
Wildfire and the Urban Environment
Fire is a natural ecosystem process that shaped the landscape around Austin. It was a frequent visitor to our area.
While fire is often viewed as destructive, it is also an important, historical part of the environment that affects the health of plant and animal communities. Today, land managers understand that the potential for a fire on wildlands exist. They work to manage the land so that the risk to urban areas that interface with wildlands is mitigated or minimized. This is done through coordination with local governments, fire departments and homeowners to help make Travis County a Fire Adapted Community.
Homeowners can take a proactive approach to protecting their home from wildfires. The goal within the Wildland Urban Interface is to stop the transition of fires from wildland vegetation to the urban environment and vice versa. If this transition is stopped, fires can be more safely and effectively managed by fire management agencies without negative effects to communities or natural resources. In most cases, reducing the risk to homes can be accomplished through simple and achievable steps.
Learn how you can take charge to protect your property, community and natural resources at:
Prescribed Fire
As the name implies, prescribed fires are those based on a prescription- a carefully written plan that incorporates many factors such as weather conditions, topography, fuel type and desired goals into a very specific strategy using fire. For the Water Quality Protection Lands, where the management goal is to return the land to an oak-juniper savannah, prescribed fires are a method to reduce invasive plants and invigorate native grasses. On Balcones Canyonlands Preserve properties, prescribed fire is being used as a tool for creation and maintenance of habitat for the endangered black-capped vireo. Where possible, prescribed fire is used as a cost effective alternative to mechanical or hand-clearing of vegetation, methods that are labor intensive and time consuming ways to meet management goals. City staff works closely with local fire departments and our natural resource partners to ensure that adequate planning and resources are in place to conduct prescribed fires safely.
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