Fire Safety: Get Rid of Those Tumbleweeds

Our community suffered a serious tragedy last week, in which 3 children and an adult were killed in a fast moving fire. While the circumstances surrounding the fire are terrible, and not those I want to delve into right here, this is an optimum time to take stock of the fact that if you live in a tumbleweed ridden zone, it's time to take care of cleaning up your property. No matter what the cause of a fire is, a supply of dried out old tumbleweeds is a ticket to trouble.

When the desert gets hit with a decent supply of winter rain, it only follows that spring will be full of green sticker bushes, which grow through much of the summer. These sticker bushes, as they die in early fall and dry out, become those famous tumbleweeds of the west. Death Valley is a popular destination in those heavy rain years, due to the beautiful growth that follows. However, along with wildflowers, are the tumbleweeds.

Your first, and best step to keeping tumbleweeds under control is by dealing with them when they first crop up.  A little sticker bush is easy to pull up with a hoe.  If you make a practice every couple of weeks of attacking your baby tumbleweeds, you won't have any huge weeds to contend with on your property at summer's end.  Likewise, keep the area around the house clear of the grasses that will grow in this early spring weather. 

If the weeds get away from you a little bit, you will get a view of those unsightly big green bushes, which can tower over small children, if left to grow. These are a little more work to remove, but with a little assistance, it can be accomplished. This is a great opportunity to study some elements of physics with your kids, by the way. Use a pitchfork to move the bush to one side, and have your partner whack away at it with a hoe, or another sharp garden tool. Use rakes to gather your weeds together, and if you have goats, well, it's free food. Otherwise, find out about disposal company rules, or make a run to the dump.

Living in the desert Southwest, the winter is filled with a steady stream of heavy North winds.  Every time the North wind blows, a fresh supply of dead tumbleweeds make an appearance on the North side of the property.  It's important to deal with these dry weeds, as well, because they are quick to burn, therefore, a serious fire hazard. 

Again, you can investigate requirements with your disposal company, if you don't have a huge supply.  You can also transport tumbleweeds to the dump, in many communities.  If your area allows you to have a burn permit, this gives you another option, in that you can make small piles, and perform a controlled burn of the weeds.  It is essential that you investigate your community's regulations and requirements, when it comes to burning weeds. 

If you didn't remove last year's weeds, it's imperative that you do so soon.  Summer's heat also makes conditions ripe for wildfire's, and again, dry tumbleweeds make a hot, fast moving fire.  Get your house free from tumbleweed kindling.  It may take a little extra elbow grease, but could be a matter of life and death if your area experiences any wildfire activity. 

Given the prevalence of home foreclosures in the Southwest, it's possible that you may have homes nearby which have been left, abandoned, and which are surrounded by tumbleweeds.  While it may not be your responsibility to handle those weeds, if they jeopordize your home, you may want to do something about removing them, or at least, contact the owner of the property with the concern.  Similarly, if you have neighbors who physically cannot attend to their weeds, this is an excellent time to embark on a volunteerism project, and include your youngsters, if you're a parent.  Loving your neighbors as yourself can be demonstrated whole-heartedly in this atmosphere. 

When summer comes, the last thing you want to have to worry about is a wildfire.  Do your best to keep your property tidied up and free of tumbleweeds, whether you attack the problem when they are just little green sticker bushes, or whether you catch up on getting rid of last year's supply.  While they may be a pain to deal with, the consequences of not dealing with those pesky tumbleweeds could be much more dire.