Wildfires
We have seen plenty of them up close over the years – one in particular in the 1980s, which will be added here when time permits.
The immediate concern, however, is that the 2024 season promises to be among the worst due to two years of heavy winter rains and unusually high summer temperatures.
At the present time, we have 17 large (1″) Rainbird impact sprinklers strategically located within the Christmas trees on the Old Town farm.
We typically run one or two of these Rainbirds for 2-3 hours per day during the late summer to maintain good moisture in the tree foliage and in the wood chips that cover the ground. The purpose of the wood chips, which are very slow to burn, is to discourage weed growth, which is a far more serious fire hazard.
The Rainbirds are fed directly from 1 1/2 hp submersible pump, set at 420 ft and powered by a stand-by generator when PG&E goes off.
Both of the main buildings of the Old Town farm have overhead sprinklers on the rooftops – note the black, plastic, pop-ups on the roof-peaks in the pictures below. They are fed from the 5,000 gallon domestic water tank, and are pressurized by a pump in the well house, which is also on the emergency generator circuit.
An additional caution is to be constantly vigilant regarding threats in the neighborhood. The following is a glaring example of the negligence that unfortunately exists all over the Santa Cruz Mountains.
By: Jim
Written: July 31, 2024
Published:
Revised:
Reader feedback always appreciated[i]. . thoughtful commentary perhaps more so than shallow thoughts
footnotes
| ↑i | . . thoughtful commentary perhaps more so than shallow thoughts |
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