Fire crews create ‘fuel break’ on Anchorage hillsides

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - As summer quickly approaches in Alaska, so does the risk of wildfire. Fire crews have begun work on reducing burnable fuel in Anchorage.

The Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection (DOF) and the Anchorage Fire Department (AFD) Wildfire Division have partnered in the joint effort of creating the shaded “fuel break.” Over the course of roughly 18 days, the Gannett Glacier Fire Crew will be working to clear fuel and use the project as a training opportunity.

“We’ve set these projects up to be as similar to a wildfire as possible,” said DOF Fuels Specialist Ethan Debauche. “So that if they can spend a couple of weeks here, when there is a new fire somewhere in Alaska, they’re just more prepared and more capable when they get there.”

The fuel break will extend from the Hilltop Ski Area road to Prospect Drive, a distance of roughly 1.21 miles and an area of roughly 35 acres.

“This is a classic example of what we’d call wildland urban interface,” Debauche said. “We have a large park in a very natural state, as well as a large State Park that homes and residences have kind of encroached into over the years. So now we’re looking at ways to mitigate their fire risk because we’re in a frequent fire environment here in Anchorage, and by eliminating risk, it just helps set us up in advance.”

The crew won’t be working within 50 feet of homes and property, in order to avoid interference. However, it will affect certain recreation spots in the area, such as the Queen Bee and Janice’s Jive multi-use trails, which will be closed for the duration of the project.

“We’re also trying to retain a lot of the forest values for, you know, the critters and for the people that recreate in the area and things like that,“ said Stephen Nickel, DOF Mat-Su and Southwest Area Forester. ”It’s a very popular area. There’s a lot of single tracks, you know, bike trails in there, and a lot of hikers and walkers. So we want to keep that forest value while still achieving the fuel reduction objectives."

In addition to creating the fuel break, the crew from Gannett Glacier will be treating the project as if it is a real wildfire scenario, living on the site, and operating as such.

“We’re a pretty young crew,” said Crew Boss Tim Troxel. ”So getting the crew out here, working together as a team safely, you know, being stewards of the land and helping, you know, clean up the forest and make it a healthier environment is our objective here."

The fuel, which consists of pruned branches, small trees, and dried brush, will be either put through a chipper and removed or destroyed via controlled burns. Nickel said it is not yet a certainty that they will prescribe burns, but an option they will consider.

With lower-than-average snow over the last winter, Troxel said the fuel break and the training will likely be necessary.

“I believe it will be a busier fire season,” Troxel said. “You know the lack of snow and precip, and as you know, we got plenty of grass, and the black spruce is a very high-energy component fuel. So yes, I am anticipating it being a busy season.”

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