Eric they have the same issues in Australia. You might want to join aunog, if you haven't already, I'm sure you'll find endorsement for these issues.
Fuel management is a problem. Finding the right balance between management and ecological issues is political and complex with many vested interests driving the narrative.
D
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Don Gould
5 Cargill Place
Richmond
Christchurch, New Zealand
Mobile/Telegram: + 64 21 114 0699
www.bowenvale.co.nz
-------- Original message --------
Date: 12/09/20 10:14 am (GMT+12:00)
Subject: Wildfires: Clear fuel from hilltop and remote area communications towers
Over the past week I think I've seen about 20 to 30 photos of burnt out communications sites in Oregon and California.
Due to the often remote and unstaffed nature of many of these sites, there's a natural tendency for brush, shrubs, grass and small trees to grow close to the tower compounds on many hilltop sites.
Many of these sites also support emergency communications services.
In the subject line I'm using "fuel" as defined by firefighters, not literally meaning petroleum fuels, but anything flammable.
In some places there are ecological or political concerns with maintaining a cleared perimeter around telecom tower sites. This might be a time to re-visit the logical purpose of some of these policies, if allowing fuel to grow right up to the tower and telecom equipment shelters greatly increases the likelihood of the whole thing going up in flames.