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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2016)
16 Wednesday, June 1, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Create a circle of safety at home Sisters Country birds Before summer arrives, create a circle of safety around your home to protect it from wildfire. The Oregon Department of Forestry, Keep Oregon Green Association, Oregon State Fire Marshal and fire educators statewide are spreading the word on ways to help prevent human-caused wildfires, as well as how to protect a home in case a fire encroaches. “In a large fire event, firefighters may not have the capacity or resources to defend every house. Just as you lock the doors to keep your home and family safe, think of creating a fuel-free defensible space, a ‘circle of safety,’ around your home to reduce fire danger and pro- vide safe access to firefight- ers so they can protect it,” said Kristin Babbs, president of Keep Oregon Green. The main culprits are a wildfire’s hot embers. They can waft through the air a mile or more ahead of the actual flame front and come to rest in leaves and needles accumulated on the roof, or in flammable plants in the landscaping. In a matter of By Douglas Beall minutes the embers can ignite the surrounding fuel. In some instances, house fires started by embers on the roof and in rain gutters have smol- dered without smoke for days, creeping into the roof’s underlayment, before burst- ing into open flames. “You can’t control where these embers land, but you can control what happens when they do,” she said. To create a circle of safety around your property, start with the house and the first 30 feet extending from the out- ermost part of the structure, including detached garages and sheds. The roof is the most vulnerable part of the home. Regularly clear leaves and needles from the roof and gutters, and cut back any tree limbs that overhang the roof. Landscaping should con- sist of low-growing, fire- resistant plants that are spaced carefully so as not to draw a fire to the struc- ture with surrounding fuel. Rake leaves and debris from the yard, mow grass, prune trees six to 10 feet up from the ground, and keep plants well-watered to prevent a sur- face fire from climbing into the tree crowns and carrying flames to the house. Properly placed deciduous trees can actually protect a home by blocking a wildfire’s intense heat. Fuel breaks, such as drive- ways, gravel walkways, and green lawns can halt the advance of a fire by starving it of fuel. In the zone 100 to 200 feet from the home, trees may need to be thinned, though less intensively than those closer in, so that canopies are not touching. It is not inevitable that a wildfire will consume every- thing in its path. The more defensible-space work a homeowner can accomplish before fire season, the better a home’s chances of surviv- ing a wildfire. “It’s peace of mind know- ing that if you leave your home for a stretch of time this summer, it will still be stand- ing when you return,” Babbs said. More tips on how to cre- ate defensible space around your home and protect it from wildfire can be found at www.firewise.org and www. keeporegongreen.org. Correspondent Dropping from a perch to feed on ground insects or consuming many ber- ries including poison oak, our Western bluebirds are beginning to build their nests in tree cavities or bird houses. The male will begin singing before dawn to mark his breeding terri- tory. The female gathers fine grasses, needles, feathers, and horsehair and constructs a loose nest where she lays 2-8 pale blue to white eggs. Bluebirds may raise 2-3 broods using the same nest or build another nest. After incubating for 12-17 days the nestlings will be fed for 18-25 days before leaving their home. Often the parents have help- ers who help in attending the young, and up to 45 percent of the nests contain young that are not the resi- dent male’s offspring. On their wintering grounds the Western blue- bird will sometimes form flocks of up to 100 with robins and mountain blue- birds mixed within the flocks. A collection of Western bluebirds is called a “her- mitage.” For more blue- bird photos visit http:// abirdsingsbecauseithasa song.com/recent-journeys. photo by douGlas beall The Western bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) have returned to Oregon after wintering in California and Mexico. Metolius Lawn Maintenance Your friends in the spring-cleaning to weekly lawn- care and everything-in-between business. Prices are always reasonable and satisfaction is guaranteed! CALL 541-508-9672 TODAY! 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We always appreciate the work and our prices are reasonable. I&J Carpets Sisters’ own Gary Cundiff manages I&J Carpets in Bend, which has been in business for 45 years, by far the longest run of any floor-covering operation in Central Oregon. A family business, I&J Carpets has lasted this long because they deliver what customers want most — top-quality products and excellent service at a fair price. From carpet to hardwood flooring, vinyl to ceramic tile, I&J Carpets offers a fantas- tic selection of quality products. The key to cus- tomer satisfaction is getting the job done right, and I&J has outstanding installers, with crews that have worked with the company for a decade and more. There’s no charge for an estimate, and you can be assured that your project will be handled with care and professionalism from beginning to completion. Gary grew up in the floor covering business and has been with I&J Carpets for 18 years — because it means something to work for a company where quality comes first.
