The 2002
Squire Peak fire near Ruch, Oregon
burned six structures and threatened
up to two hundred homes in the valley
you see below. Fortunately, a large
manzanita-choked portion of the area
was previously treated with "SLASHBUSTER"®
brush cutters. Without pretreatment,
it would have been too hazardous and
difficult to create an emergency fireline
in this area, and the fireline would
not have been as effective because
of the density of manzanitas.
Note
that the trees in the burned section
retained their leaves. Firefighters
on the ground reported that when the
Squire Peak fire reached the treated
area it immediately turned from a
crown fire into a ground fire, which
burns slower and is easier to contain.
Near the same area. Before treatment
walking through this manzanita chaparral was
next to impossible and their crowns
formed a continuous carpet of green.
