fuels-reduction-guide-2023 - Flipbook - Page 16
Fuel Breaks
Fuel breaks are strategically placed along ridgetops.
A fuel break is strip of land on which
the vegetation and fuels have been
reduced or modified to decrease the
risk of a fire crossing the strip of land.
Fuel breaks are not designed to stop
fire spread, especially during periods
of strong winds when fire can be blown
across these linear features. However,
fuel breaks do provide opportunities for
firefighting success by creating areas
of lower fire intensity, improved access
for ground based firefighters, and
increased fireline construction rates.
The lighter fuels, often associated with
fuel breaks, also provide opportunities
for indirect fireline construction through
backfire or burn-out operations to
consume fuel ahead of the spread of
the main fire.
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Fuel breaks create Defensible Space
around critical communication, water
and power infrastructure.
