Analyze your com0munity and the fire prevention problems that need to be addressed. If arson isn=t a problem in your area, don=t waste time talking about it. Instead, focus your efforts on problems that do exist near you.

Next, determine the groups of people that can help alleviate the problems-they are your target audience. Then decide what they need to know to help prevent wildfires-that=s your message.

Find out what newspapers your target audiences read, what radio stations they listen to, and what television stations they watch-those are the media outlets you need to work with.

Next, determine the most appropriate time to deliver your messages. Be creative! Fire prevention messages can be linked to a wide variety of events and activities year-round, not just during Fire Prevention Week or on the 4^th of July. The following provides some suggestions that you can tailor to your community to meet your fire prevention needs for this fall.

Hunting Season - Issue a news release, or hold a press conference, in conjunction with a local hunters association or sportsmen=s society. Offer safety tips to hunters about to head for the field and remind them to be careful with fire.

Smokey and Sports - Arrange for smokey to appear at sporting events in your area. Invite local sportscasters and sportswriters to cover the event.

Fire Prevention Week - Join forces with other wildland and structural firefighting agencies to sponsor special activities and events. Invite the media to cover them.

When we think of portable heaters, we think of convenience and energy saving. What we should also be thinking about are fires and burns. Heating fires are the second largest cause of home fires in this country and many are caused by portable heating devices. Many hospital emergency rooms and burn care units report thousands of serious burns yearly due to contact with portable heaters. Unfortunately, many of these burn victims are children who suffer pain and perhaps disfigurement as a result. Follow these safety rules this winter:

• Use only those space heaters with safety devices that cut off automatically if tipped over.

• Purchase and use only those heaters with the UL (Underwriters Laboratories) label indicating that model has been tested for safety.

• Don=t plug in any electric heater until you have checked the appliance cord for frayed or worn spots. If necessary, replace the heater or have an electrician repair the cord. Do not cover the cord with tape yourself. It=s too risky.

• Keep all heaters away from drapes, papers, furniture and other flammable items.

• Never place heaters in doorways or other exits. Don=t cut off your only means of escape.

• Avoid using extension cords with heaters. If you must, use a heavy duty type capable of handling the load. Too small a cord can start a fire.

• Do not place electric heaters near sinks, tubs, showers or other containers of water.

• Keep children and pets away from heaters.

• Turn heaters off when you go to bed or before you leave the house. It doesn=t make sense to lose your possessions or your life to save energy.

• Don=t try to heat an entire room with a portable heater. Focus the heat in the direction you need it.

• Use only 1 K kerosene (clear like water) in kerosene heaters. Do not use yellow or contaminated kerosene. Fill outside. Never use gasoline, or any other flammable liquid in a kerosene heater. Provide ventilation when using.

 

 

Fire Prevention Message for the Holidays

We all think of holidays as happy times, a chance to celebrate with family & friends. The Nebraska Forest Service wants to wish you and your family a happy and safe holiday season. We offer the following suggestions to keep your holiday free from fire.

When purchasing a live tree, look for the following signs of freshness.

$1. The tree is green.

$2. It should be hard to pull needles from the branches. Fresh needles don=t break.

$3. If you bounce your tree on the ground, a minimum number of needles should fall off.

$4. Keep your tree stored outside your home in water until you are ready to decorate it.

$5. To keep your tree fresh, cut off about two inches off the trunk so as to expose fresh wood for better absorption of water.

$6. And always keep the tree stand filled with water.

When selecting a location for your tree, make sure it is kept away from sources of heat such as wood stoves, fire places, and heat vents. Make certain the tree is kept out of high traffic areas. Check all lights before installing them on the tree. Look for broken bulbs and/or frayed wires. It is best not to use extension cords. However, if you do use an extension cord, make certain it is a heavy cord, and never overload the cord or lay it where people and pets may walk on it.

Take extreme caution if you must use a candle or candles. Keep them away from all flammables. Place them in deep dish containers (glass or metal) and located where they cannot be knocked over or reached by children. NEVER LEAVE LIGHTED CANDLES UNATTENDED! NEVER! If you must leave, put them out. Remember! It only takes a second for an accident to occur.

Remember, FIRES don=t take a holiday. By taking some fire prevention precautions, you and your family can celebrate a fire-safe holiday.

But the Nebraska Forest Service wants you to know that portable heaters have caused many tragic firesBeven deathsBin recent years. If you are going to use supplemental heating, use it wisely.

Kerosene Nightmares

The largest number of heating-related fires have been caused by kerosene heaters.

Radio

Radio is an often-forgotten medium, but sometimes it can provide the most effective means to reach your target audiences.

Radio news is immediate and ready to deliver your message NOW. Most radio stations broadcast local news at least once an hour. In a breaking news situation, radio can deliver the story as it develops.

Radio needs current, concise information with short sound bites. Small radio stations often have a one person news staff who will appreciate your help in delivering an interesting feature story. Larger stations have reporters, producers, news directors, program directors and public affairs directors.

Most radio stations also produce a local public affairs program once a week to meet Federal Communication Commission public service requirements. These programs, which usually last from 30 minutes to one hour, can provide a great opportunity to talk to the public in depth about your fire prevention program.

Three distinct eye catching Riparian buffer Displays are now available for your use to promote riparian buffers. Each display illustrates a distinct theme related to riparian buffers. The first shows the overall benefits of buffers, including water quality, income production, and wildlife. The second display concentrates largely on their economic benefits, and the third focuses primarily on wildlife benefits. All emphasize that buffers protect and enhance water quality. Use them to grab peoples= attention, to encourage them to stop and take publications, or to engage with the person stationed at the display.

The curved tabletop display is 6= wide by 5= tall, made of lightweight aluminum and covered with carpet panels to which the plastic-coated subject panels are attached (with Velcro). The entire unit (display plus subject panels) comes in a convenient carrying case that can be checked as luggage, fits in a car trunk, or can be shipped via UPS. It is completely self-contained and sets up in less than 10 minutes.

Plan to use these displays at county fairs, producer and acreage owner meetings, workshops, trainings, conference, etc. and at any events where landowners, producers, and/or natural resource agency personnel are present.

If you would like to reserve the display simply contact Jeanine Lackey, Extension Forestry and Wildlife, at the number below.

Jeanine Lackey
107 Plant Industry, East Campus
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68583-0814
(402 472-9860
jlackey2@unl.edu

The tree-filled landscapes of winter can be mistakenly thought to be asleep. The winter trees are not sleeping, but are counting the days until spring. Most of the growing points in the tree are protected inside jackets called buds. Only in spring will it be apparent whether the tree has put aside and saved enough resources to respond to the new season of growth.

Winter is a difficult time for trees. Trees must stand in the face of drying and cold winds. Food reserves are carefully conserved for the coming needs of spring and water continues to move through the tree until it freezes. Any creature needing a meal chews and nibbles on the resting buds and twigs. Trees stand against all circumstances that the winter season can generate. What can you do to help your valuable trees? A few things can help a tree be more efficient and effective in surviving the winter and thriving in the spring. These small winter investments can pay off in a large way, yielding healthy and structurally sound trees.

1. Add a thin layer of composted organic mulch that blankets the soil surface. Mulch protects and conserves tree resources and recycles valuable materials.

2. Properly wrap new trees young and newly planted trees that have not developed a corky bark and could easily be damaged. Mechanical injury from the environment, including chewing and rubbing by animals, must be prevented.

3. Remove visible structural faults and deadwood. Try to make small pruning cuts that minimize the exposure of the central heartwood core on branches.

4. Perform limited pruning of declining and poorly placed branches. Pruning should conserve as many living branches as possible with only a few selected cuts.

5. Fertilize in late fall or early spring with elements needed in small quantities. Essential elements added over a mulch layer will help provide a healthy soil environment for root growth.

6. Water where soils and trees are cool but not frozen, and where there has been little precipitation during the summer or fall. Winter droughts need treatment with water the same a summer drought. However, it is easy to overwater in winter, so be careful.

(Source: Society of American Foresters Urban and

Community Forestry Working Group Newsletter

We all enjoy the beauty and benefit of trees. We also know the power of trees to make life better for us and for all living things. The NADF is an organization dedicated to helping people and communities plant and care for trees, we congratulate you on your interest in America=s trees. Whether the trees you plant and care for are in your yard, in your community, or in state and national forests, these trees are your legacy for tomorrow.

Fall Planting Tips: After planting trees in the fall, completely soak the ground around the tree once each week until the ground is frozen solid. Also, water during winter warm spells if the ground is dry and not frozen. Before freezing time, cover the soil around the base of the tree with an extra 4-inch layer of insulating mulch. Remove this extra mulch in the spring after the ground thaws.

The Value of Mulch: A young tree=s best friend, mulch insulates soil, retains moisture, keeps out weeds, prevents soil compaction, reduces lawnmower damage, and adds an aesthetic touch to a yard or street. Remove any grass within a 3-foot area and pour organic mulch such as wood chips or bark pieces 2 to 4 inches deep within the circle. Keep the mulch from touching the trunk of the tree.

Forestry Facts: An unmanaged stand of trees may have 2,000 or more trees per acre. Thinning concentrates growth on fewer trees, helping them to grow faster and larger. A local forester can provide a specific recommendation for your forest, but 100 to 200 crop trees per acre is common.

Did You Know. . . a grown tree can manufacture five pounds of pure oxygen per day!

A couple weeks ago we experienced record low temperatures. In many areas temperatures went well below freezing. How does this affect fall color? Dr. Kim Coder (University of Georgia) says that there are three basic requirements for good fall color. The are (1) cool night temperatures with no freezes or frosts, (2) cool, bright, unclouded sunny days, and (3) slight drought conditions in the last half of the growing season and on into the fall. Well, we probably have the second two but we may have lost on the first count. You can learn more about fall color from the University of Georgia website. Dr. Coder has an excellent series entitled Fall Color. Log on to http://www.forestry.uga.edu/warnell/service/library/ and follow the link to Community Forestry. There you will find a list of publications that can be accessed on line including the fall color series. The USDA Forest Service also has a very good fall color site http://www.fs.fed.us/news/fall.shtml. You can also go to a fall color web cam site http://www.weatherwatchers.org/wxcam/fall/ and see some real time pictures. These are mostly eastern sites.

(Source: Nebraska Shady Lane Listserver)

Check it out!!!

The third annual ACentral Region Woodland Stewardship Conference@ for people in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri will be held Saturday, November 18, 2000, at the beautiful National Arbor Day Foundation=s Lied Conference Center in Nebraska City. Due to the resounding success of the first two conferences, the 2000 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 will provide landowners in the 4-state area with the knowledge and skills to manage their woodland and related resources using good stewardship principles.

The 2000 conference format will have 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 sessions include:

Chain Saw Maintenance
Estimating Timber Volume & Value
Pruning Timber Trees
Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) for High Value Trees
Tree Identification
Management by Fire
Establishing and Maintaining Prairies
Managing Woodlands for Wildlife
Managing Grasslands for Wildlife
Edible Landscapes for People and Wildlife
Working Trees in the Landscape
Caring for Older Windbreaks
Medicinal Plants from Forests
Weed Control in Tree Plantings
Riparian Buffers
What=s Killing My Evergreens
Wildlife Damage B Prevention & Control
Understory and Herbaceous Plants in the Forest
Drying Wood

Conference registration is $30 per person until November 13. Late registration is $35 per person. The registration fee includes a great buffet luncheon, the Lied Center=s famous continuous break, and handout materials. Conference enrollment is limited to 250, so register early to insure your attendance.

For more information or a conference brochure, contact any state or extension forestry office in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri or Nebraska, or Dennis Adams, Nebraska coordinator, at (402) 472-5822 or e-mail: dadams2@unl.edu or Scott Josiah, Nebraska Extension Forester at (402) 472-6511, e-mail: sjosiah2@unl.edu.