Fuels treatment provides wildfire protection and training opportunity for new recruits

The University Subdivision Hazard Fuels Break shown pre-treatment in 2011, one year post-treatment in 2012, and 11 years post treatment in 2022. 

NPS

The maintenance treatment for the University Subdivision Hazard Fuels Break, located within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, was successfully completed in July 2023 by National Park Service (NPS) fire staff and two all-women Student Conservation Association (SCA) crews. The completion of the 23-acre project played a pivotal role in preserving defensible space which wildland firefighters can utilize if a wildfire threatens homes or property near the University Subdivision.

The initial fuels reduction project, located along the southern border of the community of McCarthy, Alaska and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, was originally executed during the summer of 2011. The treatment plan involved using chainsaws to thin and remove flammable spruce, brush, and dead vegetation from the private property line, extending 50 feet into National Park Service (NPS) managed land. The cut debris was hand-piled and burned in 2012 when weather conditions permitted, and the debris had time to dry.

A decade after the initial completion, NPS fire staff recognized the fuel break’s effectiveness was diminishing due to new vegetation growth. Consequently, a plan was devised to perform the first comprehensive maintenance treatment. This endeavor was viewed as an outstanding training opportunity for the two all-women SCA crews hosted by the National Park Service in Alaska in 2023.

These ten highly motivated women had recently completed the requisite training to qualify as wildland firefighters and chainsaw operators and were eager to put their training into action. Under the guidance of a seasoned NPS wildland firefighter, the SCA crews set up their basecamp near the treatment area and dedicated ten days to honing their chainsaw and backcountry camping skills. The SCA crews made significant progress, completing a substantial portion of the project, which in turn allowed NPS fire staff to finish the entire project by mid-July. During this maintenance treatment, numerous debris piles were once again generated which will be burned when conditions are appropriate.

The effort between NPS fire staff and the dedicated SCA crews exemplifies the collaborative effort often needed in maintaining important existing hazard fuels reduction projects to reduce the risk to communities from the threat of wildfire.