DATE: May 20, 2009

CONTACT: Jeffery T. Vernon, 843-546-1013, ext. 247
jvernon@clemson.edu

WRITER: Peter Hull, 843-554-7226, ext. 118
phull@clemson.edu

Clemson’s Baruch Institute helps reduce risk of wildfires in Georgetown County

GEORGETOWN — The April wildfires that devastated parts of Horry County showed how a natural habitat can fuel the flames.

As the fires destroyed more than 75 homes and scorched 20,000 acres, researchers at Clemson University’s Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science were working to help prevent a similar disaster in parts of Georgetown County.

In collaboration with the S.C. Forestry Commission and DeBordieu Colony, the Baruch Institute completed a fuel-mitigation project to remove natural material that could help a wildfire burn in the forested area adjacent to DeBordieu homes.

The project was funded by an S.C. Forestry Commission grant.

The institute hired a local contractor to remove the fuel — the under-story and mid-story of the forest, such as pine straw and branches that had fallen and collect on the ground — in three separate areas of the forest that border the residential development.

All told, 25 acres were cleared on land owned by the Clemson University Foundation between U.S. 17 and DeBordieu.

“Whatever fuels that were on the ground — anything that could ignite and create a wildfire — were removed,” said Jeffery T. Vernon, research associate and geographic information systems specialist at the Baruch Institute.

The summer months pose the greatest risk for wildfires, Vernon said. The nature of the property, given its proximity to the residential neighborhood, does not lend itself to a controlled burn during the winter.

The best option was to clear the area of forest debris that could catch fire, Vernon said.

Clearing the debris created a 100-foot wide buffer that could slow a fire’s progress by eliminating most of the fuel a wildfire would burn to grow and spread. Most of the debris was ground up into a fine soil-type material that became part of the forest floor.

While it doesn’t eliminate the available fuel completely, its ability for combustion is drastically reduced, Vernon said.

The work was carried out by Myrtle Beach-based Bluewater Services LLC. Partner Brent Holland said the company cleared acres of lower canopy and underbrush.

“You end up with a bed of mulch and fine debris when complete,” Holland said.

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On the Web

Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science: http://www.clemson.edu/baruch/.