Natural disasters

[Farmercharliesblog]

I have been thinking about this a lot and I need to ask, how do you keep your homes and greenhouses safe during natural disasters? I live in Great Barrington mass and we recently had a wildfire. It was called the butternut wildfire. I also know that California has been having a big wildfire. We are also prone to blizzards, drought, flooding, wildfires, small avalanches ,and small earthquakes here. Please share how you keep your greenhouses and homes safe. It would really help.

 

[Hinotori]

I can tell you what is encouraged where my parents have their cabin. Eastern Oregon mountain forest. 14 inches of rain annually. Mostly everygreen trees. Douglas fir, tamarack, lodgepole pine, balsam fir. No mowing or use of any electric or gas tools outdoors May -Nov.

This is recommended. Fire resistant roof underlayment on roof with non-combustable roofing like metal or slate. Stucco, brick, stone, concrete siding. Asphalt shingles are discouraged.

This is required. No trees within 50 feet of building. Lower limbs on trees removed to 25 feet up. No underbrush or shrubs within 25 feet of building. Wood piles must be in fully enclosed building sparks cant enter. Any open areas under building, deck, stairs, and such must have 1/16 inch screening to keep embers out.


Much wetter here (western Washington) 50 inches annually. Here we're encouraged to keep all grass and brush mown to 30 feet from buildings. That actually is a chore with how fast it can grow. Especially the blackberries. Fires are more likely in open spaces than the trees here. Usually caused by morons. Tree fires do happen occasionally.

East side of Washington is pretty much the same as eastern Oregon. Dry. Cheet grass and tumbleweeds are invasives that catch fire easily. Sagebrush and bitterbrush don't catch easily but the burning grass causes them to. We learned basic wildfire fighting in my school. Can stop those there if you get to them fairly quick. Trees arent common there. Wheat however is dryland farmed and fire races through that.