. In the construction of a firebreak, the primary goal is to remove deadwood and undergrowth down to mineral soil. Various methods may be used to accomplish this initially and to maintain this condition. Ideally, the firebreak will be constructed and maintained according to the established practices of sustainable
forestry and
fire protection engineering, also known as best management practices (BMP). The general goals are to maximize the effectiveness of the firebreak at slowing the spread of wildfire, and, by using firebreaks of sufficient size and density, to reduce the ultimate size of wildfires. Additional goals are to maintain the
ecology of the forest and to reduce the impact of wildfires on
air pollution and the global
climate, and to balance the
costs and benefits of the various projects. These goals can be achieved through the use of appropriate operating practices, many of which can be potentially mutually beneficial to all. In many cases, it may be useful for firebreak upkeep to be maintained along with the harvesting of forestry products, such as
lumber and
biomass fuel, since the objectives are fundamentally related, in that the basic goals are to remove material from the forest. Furthermore, if done properly, the value of these products can significantly offset the cost of maintaining the firebreak. In addition, these commercial industries and
small businesses are helped by a reduction in the property damages caused by wildfires, and reduced
risk of investment. The
biomass material that is not suitable for
dimensioned lumber is suitable to make
woodchips for the
paper industry and the energy industry. Larger trees are sometimes left in place within some types of firebreaks, to shade the
forest floor and reduce the rate of
fuel accumulation, and to enhance the landscaping in recreational and inhabited locations.
Prevalence Forested areas often contain vast networks of firebreaks. Some
communities are also using firebreaks as part of their
city planning strategy. An example is the city of
Revelstoke, British Columbia, which includes firebreaks in their Community Wildfire Protection Plan.
Effectiveness Depending on the environmental conditions, and the relative effectiveness of a given firebreak, firebreaks often have to be backed up with other firefighting efforts. Even then, it is still sometimes possible for fire to spread across a seemingly impenetrable divide. For example, during the
Cedar Fire of 2003, strong
Santa Ana winds had blown enough burning embers across a 10-lane section of
Interstate 15 to ignite the vegetation on the other side. During the
1988 fires in
Yellowstone National Park, hot embers managed to cross the
Lewis Canyon, a natural canyon up to a mile wide and 600 feet (180 m) deep. In Australia, firebreaks are less effective against eucalyptus forest fires, since intense fires in tinder-dry eucalyptus forest spread through flying embers, which can be carried by the winds to trigger new blazes several kilometres away. In 2019,
goats deployed to graze the nearby flammable vegetation and create a firebreak helped save the
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum and
Getty Museum from
California wildfires. == Green firebreak ==