#prescribed-burns

#prescribed-burns

Prescribed burns reduce fuels, leading to less intense wildfires, along with other proven benefits, such as promoting the resilience of forest habitats. Carefully managed prescribed burns are a vital component in our efforts to combat the threat of wildfire, which increases with the intensification of climate change and the growing proximity of human populations to wildlands. This initiative helps not only property owners but also anyone who values public lands and the cleaner air that comes with a reduction in wildfire intensity.

As a Los Altos Hills homeowner who treasures the open space that surrounds my neighborhood, I applaud the efforts of the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council to seek a grant to set up a South Bay Prescribed Burn Association. Prescribed burns reduce fuels, leading to less intense wildfires, along with other proven benefits, such as promoting the resilience of forest habitats.

BurnBot isn't the fastest way to rid a landscape of dangerously flammable vegetation (it tops out at around 0.5 mph) but it can do something that traditional vegetation management techniques cannot: with almost surgical precision, it can kill the flammable brush sitting within feet of homes and highways on even the hottest and driest days and with virtually no safety risks or disruptions to daily life.