This is the second of an exciting new series of podcasts and companion articles the Mendocino County Fire Safe Council is collaborating on with journalist Sarah Reith. You can read the full story about our Community Work Party on Blue Rock below, or listen to the podcast by clicking play.

One of the best ways to keep communities safe is to maintain defensible space around homes and roads. The Mendocino County Firesafe Council is rolling out a new program supporting community work days to make shared spaces more fire resilient. The Fire Safe Council’s professional fuel reduction crew will join volunteers and help out with a variety of neighborhood projects.

Earlier this month, a crew of five hooked up the wood chipper, gassed up their chainsaws, and headed to Laytonville. The Blue Rock Road Association, which maintains 16 miles of road just off Spyrock, wanted to keep their thoroughfare clear in case of emergency.

It’s a small, isolated community not far from Spyrock Elementary School, which is now shuttered due to a lack of students. Brent Olson, the Treasurer and Secretary of the Road Association, says that, with an aging population, COVID, and the “change of economics” in the back country, it’s been more and more difficult to round up the fees and the labor to maintain the thoroughfare he and his neighbors rely on. With 76 privately owned parcels and 40-50 residents relying on Middle Road, it’s typical of many communities in rural Mendocino County. That road, Olson said, is “a key lifeline for us to come in and out.”

The volunteer side of the work party consisted of nine community members, not counting the very friendly dog that showed up just in time for lunch. One of the stalwarts was Don, a long-time resident who came to Laytonville as a back-to-the-lander 52 years ago. He’s no stranger to how much work it is to keep wildfire from his doorstep, including fuel reduction and wintertime burns. “It’s just part of living here like this,” he reflected.

Communication and laying the groundwork for firefighters are also key. Don keeps a 3,000 gallon water tender truck, which he has had to use during fire. That, in addition to hand tools like Pulaskis and McLeods, “got ‘em beaten down until the pros got here,” he recalled. And prior to the advent of cell phones, which don’t work on Middle Road anyway, Don added that people used to rely on CB radios, “so we used to be able to respond real quick.” He says he still works with a saw, almost every day. During the work party, he ferried water, fuel for chainsaws and messages along the stretch of road where volunteers and crew members were working.

In addition to providing access to firefighters and an escape route, a well cleared road can act as a fuel break, helping to contain wildfire and reduce its intensity. The Firesafe Council can provide labor, equipment and assistance with permits and landowner agreements to reduce fire hazards along the roads.

The work is one of the projects funded by the Firesafe Council’s share of revenue from Measure P, a voter-approved ten-year quarter-cent sales tax. Most of the money is allocated to the county’s 20 fire departments, but 10% of the funds go to the Firesafe Council for fire prevention, resilience and readiness efforts.

Crew lead Gabriel Villa reminded everyone that the work is not supposed to interfere with birds’ nests or vegetation that provides shade and stability to waterways. And fire, as a natural element, is not the enemy. “If we were going to prevent fires, we would cut every tree down and lay cement everywhere,” he said, emphasizing that fire resilience is about managing the ever-present reality of fire.

“We’re not here to clear-cut, we’re not here to wipe this out, we’re not logging, we’re here to just reduce the amount of fuel…We’ve worked with a lot of foresters, so we actually work with preserving this beautiful area, as well as just reducing the fuel.”

The Fire Safe Council also makes liberal use of its chipper. Chris Coombs, the new president of the Blue Rock Road Association, said he could think of at least one good use for the chips. “We have something of a small orchard behind our cabin up here,” he said. “It would be nice to have some ready-to-hand mulching material that we can put around them to help maintain the moisture in the soil. We might be dipping into the pile here and there. It’s nice to have it on the way in.” Large piles of decomposing wood chips can heat up and cause a fire, so chips should be spread out immediately.

Not all the material gets reduced to mulch, though. The Blue Rock Road Association wanted to make sure its road banks continued to be stabilized with some vegetation, and the crew was there to make sure they got what they wanted. At Olson’s request, crew member Davette Hayes showed precision work with her chainsaw as she liberated a young maple tree from a stand of coyote brush that was creeping toward the road. Olson didn’t hesitate to recommend the work party program.

“We’ve been trying to get work like this done, but with just volunteers, without the proper tools and things, it’s nearly impossible,” he explained. “And it takes ten times longer. So to have you guys come out and to supervise and to do all the work, with us volunteering, makes it go so much smoother. Plus we know it’s being done professionally, and you guys know what to cut and what not to cut.” As Hayes’ chainsaw rumbled in the background, he added, “Davette’s great. While we’re talking, she’s working. So we’d better get back to work.”

The next work day will be with the Pine Mountain Firesafe Council on September 20.

If you’d like to apply for help organizing a Community Work Party in your neighborhood, or just want more information about the program, contact Eva King by emailing king@firesafemendocino.org.