NATIONAL CITY – The USDA Forest Service will host a town hall meeting on Saturday July 20 to discuss prescribed fire and fuels reductions in the Huron-Manistee National Forests. The event will begin at 10 a.m. at the Sand Lake Heights Community Center, 4059 Indian Lake Road, National City, Michigan.
Fire management personnel will present information pertaining to fire on the landscape, the intent and purpose of prescribed fires, past and present fire threats to the communities at risk, as well as the benefits of fuels reductions and fuel breaks as tools to protect lives and property.
“This is a great opportunity for anyone to learn the why behind the projects and gather information on how to protect your home,” said Assistant Fire Management Officer Ryan Stone. “We will show case studies on the change in fire behavior and how it effects the future fire threat to the local communities in northern Michigan.”
Subject matter experts will be on hand to answer any questions the public may have on home hardening, fuels reductions, creating defensible space on their property and the fire threat potential to the local communities in northern Michigan.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about prescribed fire and fuels reduction,” Stone emphasized. “We hope that by engaging the community we can dispel those misconceptions and create a better partnership with residents and the public.”
Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. to anyone who has an interest in the Forest Service’s use of prescribed fire and the creation of a safer landscape.
