Spring Has Sprung…Let’s Dig In Carefully!
OK, we get it! You can almost taste spring. Here in Southern Oregon we have been blessed by daffodils and another sure sign, the opening of our Grower’s Market.
And as for you? If you’re like many of our readers and members and fellow Oregonians, you believe in self-reliance and a good spring clean – outside and in – is a great way to get started. But let’s add a note of caution to the mix. Fortunately, we had a spring that was not false but did bring additional snow and rain that will add to our water table, which is great. Another advantage is it gives us a bit of time to organize our approach to gardening.
This applies to those starting to clear and work outdoors in the new weather. You may have learned from your uncles or father or family to clean your tools before putting them away every winter, but do you clean them before starting up again for the season? This one factor can be a hidden culprit in fires, both domestic and beyond. A build-up of grease, or poor maintenance in the first place, can start your year off with grief. Indeed, concerned homeowners and forest lovers benefit by understanding the complex interactions between social organization, human activity and the natural environment.
And a new study, published in the journal Society of Total Environment, has focused on the effects of transitions into and out of Daylight Savings Time (DST). Surprising links between working outdoors at the beginning of spring and fires have emerged.
The study was robust, with data from over 1.88 million non-prescribed ignitions recorded in the contiguous US over 23 years. Estimates suggest that DST has a quantitatively and statistically significant immediate and medium-run effect on wildfire occurrence.
Wildfire occurrence jumps by around 30% in the immediate aftermath of transitions into DST, adding about 98 human-caused wildfires across the contiguous US per year, while the transition's effect is detectable for 3 weeks. In the dry words of the study: “Transitions induce within-day temporal displacement of wildfires in a pattern compatible with the shifting of human activity mechanism, while the result cannot be attributed exclusively on disruptions in sleep patterns.”
In other words, it isn’t the weather, and you aren’t confused (or at least no more than usual in these times), but it’s the joy of getting out and using power tools that is the cause. The fact that burn season has just begun is of course another factor and one we will address in a later post.
But in the meantime, here are a few safety tips before you flower up:
Flammable and combustible liquids should not be used near an open flame.
Keep liquids in their original containers. Keep them tightly capped or sealed.
Never store the liquids in glass containers.
Never smoke when working with these liquids.
If you spill liquids on your clothing, remove your clothing and place it outside to dry. Once dry, clothing can be laundered. Also, with all the wind we have had this year, there are a lot downed trees and branches and more. As for yard debris, we noted safety first. But we can suggest that you:
Dispose of branches, weeds, leaves, pine needles, and grass clippings that you have cut to reduce fuel for fire. Remove leaves, pine needles, and other flammable material from the roof, gutters, and on and under the deck to help prevent embers from igniting your home.
Remove dead vegetation and other flammable materials, especially within the first 5 feet of the home. Move construction material, trash, and woodpiles at least 30 feet away from the home and other outbuildings.
So step back, clean your tools, and embrace spring the right way…meanwhile let those visions of vegetables and zinnias dance in your head just a little while longer.