The Bureau of Land Management recently declared its intention to fund 11,000 miles of strategic fuel breaks in the Great Basin states. A response to larger and more frequent wildfires in the region, the plan involves removing vegetation along a network of roads throughout the sagebrush rangeland of six states, Oregon among them.
Though not all scientists agree with the effectiveness of fuel breaks, the principle is one that firefighters employ when fighting an active blaze – remove fuel from the path, or potential path of a fire. Though a fuel break will not necessarily halt a conflagration, it can be an important tool in slowing it enough that it can be contained.
The BLM says that over 13.5 million acres burned in the project area between 2009 and 2018. Drawing on assessments of 1200 existing fuel breaks, the agency reports that it has extensive documentation to show that they are an effective tool in helping to protect communities, firefighters, and natural resources. Executive Order 13855 backs up this report.
Cost and Timeline Not Known
Local BLM offices have not yet made funding requests at this early stage of the project, so the bureau at large doesn’t have a figure as to what the whole plan will cost. This will depend on the type and number of fuel breaks constructed, the labor used, and how offices develop their planning.
The public comment period ends in 30 days, after which the BLM will proceed.
By Peter Bask
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