Protecting structures from wildfire at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Firefighters using leaf blowers to remove leaf litter from around structures at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

NPS

During spring 2021, firefighters from the Great Lakes Fire Management Zone of the National Park Service based at Indiana Dunes National Park, traveled to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore performing structure mitigation work to protect park structures from wildfire.

Fire is not the first thing a visitor thinks of when mentioning Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Often, the first thought is the abundance of water from Lake Michigan and the many lakes, streams, and bogs. With all that available water, the surrounding hardwood and conifer forests grow thick.

Many buildings and structures are nestled in and around those forests. Firefighters need to make sure that when a wildfire ignites within the park, that they can safely protect the structures. Although there is a relatively low risk of wildfires compared to some western states, many of the park’s early successional ecosystems rely on regular natural disturbance such as wind, fire, and water, to persist within the landscape. Over the past four years, there have been 10 wildfires at the park, which burned 10 acres. Four of those wildfires were near private structures.

Firefighters using a woodchipper to dispose of hazardous fuels to clean up around structures to reduce fire risk.

NPS

Park structures range from a historic lighthouse, offices, employee housing, visitor centers, and even restrooms. One hundred and ninety-three structures have been identified in the park, and over the past several years, assessments had been made on their relative risk should a wildfire impact them. These ratings were assigned from high risk to low risk. Using Firewise principals, each structure was assessed to determine mitigations needed to protect it. Techniques varied from removing flammable landscaping next to a building, limbing lower branches of trees, to removal of trees that could ignite and fall onto a structure.

Firefighters, assisted by volunteers and local park staff, used chainsaws, leaf blowers, woodchippers, brush cutters, mowers, and hand tools to lower the risk for these structures on South Manitou Island, North Manitou island, and the mainland at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Targeted funding for structure mitigation treatments assisted the park in completing the work.

Due to the continuous growth of vegetation, structure mitigation work will be on ongoing project. This initial effort to reduce potential wildland fire impacts will greatly increase firefighter’s ability to protect structures in the event of a wildfire.