Fire Prevention News

It’s the time of year when cool outside temperatures cause us to turn on our heating systems. They make our homes warm and cozy, but they also are a leading cause of fires. Have all heating equipment, including chimneys, serviced each year by reputable professionals. Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from any heat source. Use portable heaters only if they call the UL label and only if they have sturdy cords. Never use an extension cord. Use only 1K kerosene in kerosene heaters. Fill them outside and use them only in well ventilated rooms. Never leave portable heaters unattended. Be careful - keep your family warm and safe at the same time.

• Instead of a candle to light a pumpkin, use a small flashlight or one of the liquid lights that glow for several hours after you bend it.
• Purchase only flame-retardant or flame-proof costumes and masks. Be sure costumes fit properly to prevent tripping and falls, and that masks allow full vision.
• If trick-or-treating door-to-door, wear something reflective so that you show up in the night, carry a flashlight and travel in groups for safety. Keep well off the roadway and remove masks to ensure full view before crossing streets.
• Better yet, have a spooky party and stay in with your friends. It’s a safe way to have fun on Halloween.
• Check all treats carefully before eating. Report anything suspicious to the police in your local community.
• Make sure the only frights this Halloween are make-believe.

Each Season is Unique

Each season presents it own unique home fire prevention concerns. In winter, you depend heavily on your heating appliances. Remember:

• Keep your furnace clean and check that the pilot light is working.
• If you use a space heater, keep it away from flammable materials, never use it when you sleep and make sure the wiring is sound.
• Have all alternative heating sources such as a wood stove examined by an expert to make sure they are functioning properly.
• Do not use the oven for heating
• Clean and check fireplaces and chimneys regularly.

A holiday Christmas tree is a source of joy; but if you’re not careful, it can also lead to a fire. Remember:

• Buy a tree whose needles haven’t dried out.
• Place the tree away from any heat source such as a space heater or fireplace.
• Buy consumer-inspected Christmas tree lights, and do not overload the circuit with wiring.
• Turn off the tree lights when you go to bed; never leave them on when you’re not home.
• Frayed cords can expose electricity directly to the carpet or drapes, which could start a fire.
• Lights are a source of heat as well, if they lay directly on presents under the tree they could start a fire.
• The Christmas tree should always be kept well-watered, because a dry tree burns explosively.
• Never burn Christmas wrappings in the fireplace, as they can quickly cause a chimney fire.
• Discard the tree as soon as the holidays are over, and even sooner if it starts to dry out.
• The deadly myth about fire is that we have little control over it. That myth is killing 5,800 people each year, injuring 30,000 and causing $50 billion in property damage.
• Every fire has a cause; use this information to take preventive action to minimize or eliminate that cause.
• A house without a smoke detector or without one in working order is a house waiting to burn down.
• How costly is a kitchen fire extinguisher, compared to the cost of a life? Have one on hand and make sure you know how to use it.
• There are time-tested ways to survive a fire. It’s not a question of luck. It’s a matter of prevention!

Faulty Electrical Appliances

Make sure that all of the appliances being used in your home are listed by Underwriters Laboratories or other recognized testing firms and that cords and plugs are not frayed or damaged. Never overload a circuit or outlet. The same is even more important for an extension cord. Make sure the extension cord being used is proper for the appliance. Be sure that air conditions, clothes dryers, washing machines and other major appliances are being used on proper circuits.

Bob E. Vogltance, Fire Resource Manager
Nebraska Forest Service/Fire Control
491 South Colfax Street
West Point, NE 68788
(402) 372-5665

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Windbreaks, Woodlands, and Trees

 Upcoming Meetings

Community Forestry:

999 Trees ‘N’ Town Conference - November 4-5 at the Midtown Holiday Inn in Grand Island will focus on public entities. Some of the topics to be presented include plant selection for harsh environments, trees to improve the community, design of public buildings and spaces, and managing public ecosystems. In addition there will be advice on pruning and maintenance of public landscapes.

This program should appeal to anyone who is involved in forestry and green space projects in their communities. There is something for tree board members, park managers, city administrators, volunteers, and anyone else interested in creating successful landscapes.

Registration for the conference is $75.00 per person and includes conference materials, refreshments, lunch and dinner on Thursday. Entertainment on Thursday evening will be provided by Nebraska musical folk artist Chris Sayre. To register for the conference, contact the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum at 402-472-2971. There are also scholarships available. Contact Dave Mooter at 402-444-7804 for scholarship information.

Lodging is available at the Midtown Holiday Inn in Grand Island. They are holding a block of rooms. To make reservations call 800-548-5542; mention the Trees ‘N’ Towns Conference.

Rural Forestry:

1999 Region Woodland Stewardship Conference

The second annual "Central Region Woodland Stewardship Conference" (Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri) will be held Saturday, November 20, 1999 at the beautiful Arbor Day Foundation’s Lied Conference Center in Nebraska City. Due to the resounding success of the first conference in 1998, the 1999 event will again be held in Nebraska City.

The Central Region Woodland Stewardship Conference is sponsored by State and Extension Forestry in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. The conference is designed to provide landowners in the 4-state area with the knowledge and skills to manage their woodland and related resources using good stewardship principles.

The 1999 conference format will be similar to last year’s, with four concurrent sessions presented each hour during the day-long event. The conference will begin at 9:00 a.m. with registration and refreshments and adjourn at 4:00 p.m. Concurrent session topics for the 1999 conference include:

• Pruning Trees the Right Way
• Identifying Your Woodland Management Guide
• Improving Woodlands for Timber
• Using Seed to Establish Woodlands
• Tree Planting - Methods and Maintenance
• Tree Identification
• Soils & Tree Growth
• Interpreting Forest Health
• Establishing and Maintaining Prairie
• Going Nuts
• Milling Lumber for Home & Farm Use
• Specialty Products from Woodlands
• Christmas Tree Production
• Windbreaks for Farms and Acreages
• Developing Wildlife Habitat
• Sources of Forestry Assistance
• Marketing Timber
• Taxes and Woodlands

Registration will be held to $25, which includes a buffet luncheon and continuous break. For more information or a conference brochure, contact Steve Rasmussen at 370-4024, John DuPlissis at 371-7313, or Dennis Adams, Nebraska coordinator, at (402) 472-5822 or e-mail: dadams2@unl.edu

Battle Creek Street Tree Assessment-Two Inventory Comparisons

Earlier this summer, John DuPlissis (Northeast District Forester Assistant) inventoried the public trees in Battle Creek. Below is an excerpt from his assessment sent to the town evaluating the street tree resource:

In 1990 the city of Battle Creek had 637 street trees. Of this number, 244 were green ashes compared to 212 in 1997. In 1990 green ash and silver maple accounted for approximately 51 percent of the total population. Today these same species account for less than 45 percent of the total population. This is a modest but important decline. In 1990 there were 34 different species recorded compared to 43 in 1997. In the 7 years between inventories the street tree resource in Battle Creek has grown both in numbers and species diversity. Also, the actual value of these trees is greater as well. The overall value of the street tree resource has nearly doubled in that time climbing from $1,294,000 to $2,320,000. This figure does not include the value of the trees in the City Park’s Parks of Pride Arboretum which are valued at $477,000. The formula used to estimate the value of street trees used exact same dollar amount ($27.00) for 1990 as it did in 1997, therefore, this difference may be even greater after adjustments for inflation are made. Based on these two inventories it is apparent that the city of Battle Creek has a street tree resource that reflects the pride, hard work, and determination of past mayors, council members, employees, and Tree Board members. However, trees are living and growing organisms and unless the Tree Board members and city government and employees show that same commitment your city’s tree resource will surely go from above average to average or less.

The inventory in 1990 estimated there were 637 trees (50% inventory method) compared to the tallied 693 trees (100% inventory method). This shows an increase in street trees in Battle Creek. This is a wonderful and quite honestly somewhat unusual since nationwide we are losing community tree numbers. Battle Creek has done a great job in helping retain (and add) trees in the community. The residents there now and for generations will have a nicer and more welcoming environment to live in. Has your community been working on improving or adding to it’s tree resource? Or has your town lost trees and is doing nothing with the tree resource. If you want your community to be an attractive and welcoming place to work and live in, contact this office at 370-4024 to find out what tree related activities you can help initiate or sponsor. I will be glad to help. Also, if you want an assessment done on your public trees in your town, give this office a call to schedule an inventory.

Pine Needles Turning Yellow-Brown is probably not a thing to get worried about

Fall is the season for leaves to turn from green to an assortment of colors. Green ashes to yellow and white ashes to purple; maples to reds, oranges and yellows; cottonwoods to yellow and pine trees to brown...what, wait a minute!! Yes, pine leaves (needles) will at three years (sometimes two years) of age mature and drop off the trees. Some years this is more noticeable than other years and some pines will show this more obviously than other pines.

The interior needles are the oldest and will be the needles to eventually turn yellow to brown and then fall off! That is how a "carpet" of needles accumulates under older pine trees. In some parts of the country, these needles are harvested and sold for mulch. If your pine trees have interior needles turning brown this time of year, don’t worry. It is probably natural needle drop. If the very outer needles are turning brown, that could be a sign of stress or an insect/disease problem and should be investigated. In most situations, needles turning brown this time of year is natural and can be ignored. After the first heavy, wet snowfall, they will be off the tree.

Trees Need Additional Water This Fall

The late summer and early fall have been unusually dry in most parts of northeast Nebraska this year compared to recent past seasons. I measured one crack in my back yard the other day and it was 0.5 inches wide and eight inches deep! When I watered my apple tree, after two hours of running the hose at one half volume there was no ponding of water. The water had run into the cracks and gone....somewhere! We have been dry and shrubs and trees will need additional water now to help prepare them for this winter. This is especially important for newly established plants (less then three years old).

For best results, water the plants slowly with a soaker hose around the drip line of the tree or a hose on one half to one fourth volume. Allow the area to get a deep soaking. On established trees, have the hose away from the trunk of the tree more out to the dripline (edge of the branches). This is where there is more of a concentration of tree roots that can make use of the water.

Another very beneficial action that can be done for the tree or shrub is to mulch an area out to the edge of the branches with wood chips. This will help retain moisture and insulate the ground to protect the roots from early deep freezing temperatures. Apply the woodchips 2-4 inches deep and keep away 2-4 inches from the stems of the trees/shrubs.

Watering and mulching are two actions you can do for your tree/shrub friends to help them through the difficult conditions the Great Plains has in store for these plants in the next four to five months.

   Plant the Y2K Tree

Recent years have brought to our attention the anxiety that the world is facing regarding the Y2K issue. Nobody is certain what the outcome will be - will all the problems be fixed in time or will lifestyles change? Some people and organizations have made it their goal to fix this problem in time and allocated millions of dollars to this cause.

Take some time and think about this historic occasion and how fortunate we are that we will witness the passing of the millennium. As we prepare ourselves to step into the next year, ready to face the new challenges, think about doing something which will be remembered in 2100. Plant a tree. Think of memories for which you would want to plant a tree. Trees have longer lives than humans, often living hundreds of years. Seek professional help while planting trees since this is the most important process that determines their future.

Taking care of your trees will also help them to live a longer, healthier life. Here are some benefits for which generations to come will thank you.

Trees:

• Block 90% of solar radiation
• Reduce winter heating and summer cooling bills
• Act as windbreaks and sun screens
• Reduce air and noise pollution
• Consume carbon-dioxide and produce oxygen
• Control humidity and temperature around them
• Reduce human stress and inspire minds
• Preserve the natural habitat around them
• Can increase the value of a property by 25% or more depending on their health, type, size and location

Trees are the guardians of nature and help provide a healthy living environment. If you are not sure about the health of your trees, a competent, professional arborist can offer diagnosis and suggest preventive maintenance plans to keep your trees in top condition and help you make the right decisions for the health of your trees. When planting, they can also help you select the correct tree species suitable for your area and implement the most effective planning techniques.

(Source: National Arborist Assoc.)

Decreased Harvesting in North America May
Increase Deforestation Elsewhere

A study examining world timber markets suggests that preservation efforts in North America and Europe could lead to increased deforestation in threatened tropical forests.

The study predicts the loss of 1 hectare (2.47 acres) of previously inaccessible forest in Asia, South America, Africa, and the former Soviet Union for every 20 hectares set aside from timber harvesting in North America and Europe.

"A small amount of forest conservation here can have negative worldwide effects," said Brent Sohngen, coauthor of the study and assistant professor of agricultural, environmental, and development economics at Ohio State University. "North America currently produces 35 percent of global timber. Conserving only 5 to 10 percent of timberland in a region that supplies such a large proportion of global harvests will increase harvests elsewhere, including tropical forests that at present are inaccessible."

Many scientists are concerned about the possible ecological implications of the decline of tropical forests: the loss of biodiversity and undiscovered species, increased soil erosion, and the reduction of plants that remove CO₂ from the atmosphere.

Sohngen conducted the study with Robert Mendolsoh, a professor of forestry at Yale University, and Roger Sedjo, a senior fellow at Resources for the Future in Washington, D.C. The results were published in a recent issue of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics.

The researchers developed a variety of models that examined how worldwide demand for timber might affect the conservation of forests across the globe between 1995 and 2135. They examined both current and predicted global timber supply, demand, prices, and harvest costs. Their analyses accounted for supply and harvest differences across several geographic regions and compared regeneration and forest development costs.

Part of the researchers’ model examined two possible scenarios. The first assumes 5 percent of North American and European forests will be preserved, and the second suggests 10 percent of these forests will be set aside.

Both scenarios predict that these set-asides would increase worldwide timber prices by 1 to 2 percent, while increasing timber harvests in other parts of the world by 1 percent. In the 5 percent scenario, the model predicts 1.4 million hectares of previously economically inaccessible forests will be harvested elsewhere. In the 10 percent case, an additional 2 million hectares of inaccessible forests will be harvested elsewhere. These additional timber harvests would likely occur in tropical areas, Sohngen said.

According to Sohngen, simple economics helps explain why forest set-asides in North America and Europe may increase deforestation in the tropics and elsewhere.

For information, contact Brent Sohngen, Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics Department, Ohio State University, 2120 Fyffe Road, Columbus, OH 43210; (614) 688-4640; fax (614) 292-0078; e-mail: Sohngen.1@osu.edu

(Source: The Forestry Source July/Aug 1999)

 

Steven D. Rasmussen
District/Extension Forester
Northeast Res. & Ext. Center                           
601 E. Benjamin Avenue, Suite 104
Norfolk, NE 68701-0812
Phone: (402) 370-4024
FAX: (402) 370-4010
E-mail: SRASMUSSEN2@unl.edu