ASIP Trained (NFPA – Assessing Structure Ignition Potential) - A person who has completed the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) training course Assessing Structure Ignition Potential from Wildfire (ASIP). This science-based training focuses on how homes and other structures ignite during wildfires and how ignition risk can be reduced through mitigation and home hardening. Topics commonly include: wildfire behavior, ember exposure, Home Ignition Zone (HIZ), structure vulnerabilities, ignition-resistant construction, mitigation recommendations, conducting wildfire risk assessments. ASIP-trained individuals are taught to evaluate homes and surrounding property conditions that may increase wildfire ignition risk and to recommend practical mitigation measures. The training is commonly used by wildfire mitigation specialists, fire departments, foresters, insurance and risk professionals, community wildfire programs, homeowners and educators. The course is based on wildfire science research and NFPA wildfire mitigation standards, including concepts related to structure ignition and the Home Ignition Zone.
Ash Pit - A hole beneath burned debris or roots that can remain extremely hot long after a fire appears extinguished. Ash pits can reignite fuels or injure people walking over them.
Backing Fire - A fire that burns against the wind or downslope, usually more slowly and with lower intensity than a head fire.
Basic Firefighter Training - S-130: A foundational wildland firefighter training course focused on basic wildfire suppression skills and field operations. Topics commonly include fireline construction, hand tool use, safety procedures, fire shelters, mop-up operations, suppression tactics. S-130 is often taken alongside S-190 and L-180 as part of entry-level wildland firefighter training. L-180: An introductory wildland fire training course focused on human factors, communication, teamwork, and decision-making in high-risk environments. Topics include situational awareness, stress management, communication, leadership, risk assessment, and crew cohesion. L-180 emphasizes that human behavior and judgment are critical components of firefighter safety. S-190: An introductory course on wildland fire behavior. Topics commonly include how weather affects fire, fuel types, topography, fire spread, spotting behavior, fire intensity, and basic fire behavior prediction. S-190 provides the scientific foundation for understanding how wildfires develop and behave in different environments. (Many NoFloCo members have attended the classroom portion of this training but to not attempt to maintain and are not required by NoFloCo to recertify in this.)
Bucking -The process of cutting the downed tree into shorter pieces of tree trunk. Typically 18" or so long.
Burn Pile - A pile of slash, branches, brush, or woody debris intended for controlled burning under safe conditions and in compliance with local regulations. Burn piles are commonly created during: fire mitigation, forest thinning, and land clearing. Burn piles should be constructed and monitored carefully to reduce escape risk and excessive smoke production.
Burn Snake - An informal term for a long, narrow pile of slash or woody debris arranged in a line for controlled burning. Burn snakes are often used: along roads, in mitigation projects, or when material is spread out over large areas. They may burn more evenly and be easier to manage than large concentrated piles.
Canopy - The upper layer of branches and foliage formed by tree crowns.
Canopy Bulk Density- A measure of how much combustible vegetation exists in the forest canopy.
Certified Burner - A person who has completed formal training in the safe planning, preparation, and execution of prescribed fire or controlled burning operations. Certified Burner programs vary by state, but typically include: fire behavior, weather, smoke management, safety procedures, burn planning, and legal responsibilities. Certification often requires both classroom instruction and supervised field experience. (Many NoFloCo members have attended the classroom portion of this training but to not attempt to maintain and are not required by NoFloCo to recertify in this.)
Chainsaw - An electric or gasoline powered say that is purpose built to make the cuts in the base of a tree to drop a tree.
Chipping - This is the process of chipping or shredding slash. This is done by a machine called a chipper or chipper shredder. Machines vary in size from residential units to trailer based units.
Crown - The top portion of a tree
Crown Spacing - The distance between two trees at the widest point of their foliage
Crowning Fire - A fire burning that consumes the entire leaf and needle laden parts of the tree with fire moving from tree to tree. This is a very dangerous type of forest fire. Removing ladder fuel prevents fire climbing into the treetops.
Defensible Space - Natural and landscaped area around a home or other structure that has been modified to reduce fire hazard.
Discontinuous Fuels -Typically discussed in terms of fuel (vegetation) on the ground. Discontinuous fuels will stop an advancing ground fire. This would be patches of dirt, walkways, sidewalks, driveways, roads, etc.
Dog Fur - (Informal) Dense patches of saplings.
Drip Line - The outer edge of a tree’s branches where water drips from the foliage onto the ground below. The drip line is often used as a reference point when evaluating root systems, tree spacing, or defensible space around trees.
Duff - Decomposing layers of pine needles, twigs and other organic debris due to decades of fire suppression.
Ember - Also called a firebrand. These are bits of burning or hot debris from a fire which are blown by the wind. Embers can be blown a couple of miles ahead of a fire, and are responsible for most homes lost in a wildfire. In fact, a surface fire or a crowning fire do not need to reach a home to cause it to burn.
Ember Storm - A large volume of wind-driven embers capable of igniting structures far ahead of the flame front.
Evacuation Zone - A geographic area identified by emergency officials for evacuation planning and emergency notifications during a wildfire or other disaster. Evacuation zones help: organize evacuations, improve communication, and reduce confusion during emergencies. Zones may have different evacuation levels depending on the situation.
Felling - Felling involves cutting a standing tree and dropping it in the place you want it.
Fine Fuels - Small, fast-drying fuels such as grass, pine needles, leaves, and small twigs that ignite easily.
Fire Adapted Community - A community program intended to prepared subdivisions to safely coexist with wildfire through mitigation, preparedness, and resilient construction practices. This is a great concept if actually implemented and acted on, not just minimum requirement met for designation.
Fire Ecology - The study of the role fire naturally plays in forest and grassland ecosystems.
Fire Mitigation - Use of land management to reduce the fire risk to residential and commercial areas
Firewise - Like Fire Adapted Community, a national wildfire preparedness program focused on reducing home ignition risk. These are excellent programs if fully developed, implemented and embraced by communities. Unfortunately, some communities attempt to keep the designation by performing the very minimum required effort.
Flame Length - The distance from the base of a flame to its tip.
Flashing - Strips of metal, often folded to fit over a corner, fastened over gaps in a home to prevent ember entry.
Fuel breaks - An area in which fuel density is reduced to help improve fire control opportunities
Fuel Load - The amount of burnable vegetation and other combustible material in an area. Fuel load includes: grasses, brush, trees, dead wood, pine needles, slash. Heavy fuel loads can increase wildfire intensity and difficulty of suppression.
Fuels - Fuels include vegetation such as trees, brush and grass. Fuels near homes include wood piles, propane tanks, sheds and even homes themselves
Green Slash - Freshly cut vegetation that still contains moisture and is less immediately flammable than cured slash.
Head Fire - A fire moving with the wind or upslope, generally burning more intensely and rapidly.
Home Hardening - These are the steps that need to be performed on a structure to make sure than embers or firebrands do not set a structure on fire. These include placing 1/16th" mesh over vents to prevent ember entry into an attic or crawl space.
Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) - A concept that includes both the quality of the defensible space and a structure’s ignitability. Areas on and around the home or structure that are most likely to collect embers or provide a pathway for the fire to contact the home.
Ignition Resistant Construction - Building methods and materials designed to reduce structure ignition during wildfire exposure.
Ladder Fuel - Fuel, located on the ground, such as lower tree branches, that provides a pathway to fire to climb upwards. Typically, this is lower branches of a tree. Smaller trees and brush and low branches that provide vertical continuity, which allows a fire to burn from the ground level up into the branches and crowns of larger trees.
Limber - The process of cutting off the branches from a downed tree. The removal of the branches from either standing or downed trees.
Managed Fire - A naturally occurring wildfire that is monitored and managed to achieve specific resource or ecological objectives while protecting life and property. Unlike a prescribed fire, a managed fire was not intentionally started by land managers. Management strategies may change as weather, fuels, and risk conditions evolve.
Mastication - A process similar to chipping, but typically results in larger chunks of wood. The chunks are typically left where they fall on the ground rather than being being collected and hauled away.
MPB - Mountain Pine beetle
NoFloCo Mitigation Posse - A group of concerned citizens in Florissant CO/Teller County. Mission: To assist private property owners with fire mitigation, fire awareness, and forest health in an effort to make properties safer from fire danger, improve property appearance, and have fun.
Pitch Tube - A small mass of hardened or sticky tree sap produced by a tree in response to insect attack or injury, commonly associated with bark beetles such as Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB). Pitch tubes are often: white, pink, or reddish-brown. They may resemble small blobs of popcorn attached to the bark.
Prescribed Fire - A carefully planned and intentionally ignited fire conducted under specific weather and fuel conditions to achieve land management objectives (prescription). Prescribed fires may be used to: reduce hazardous fuels, improve forest health, restore natural fire cycles, reduce future wildfire intensity. They are also called a prescribed burn.
Prescription - This is the mitigation plan. Which trees will be cut down, deciding the disposition of wood and slash. Also includes directing the sequence of work and is often broken down by zones. Can include parking directions. A prescription is essential for efficient safe work.
Pruning - Selective removal of parts of the tree or bush
Radiant Heat - Heat transferred outward from flames that can ignite nearby fuels or structures without direct flame contact.
Red Flag Warning - A weather warning issued when conditions are favorable for extreme fire behavior.
Resilience - The ability of a home, property, forest, or community to withstand wildfire, recover from damage, and adapt to future fire events. Resilience includes: healthy forests, defensible space, ignition-resistant construction, evacuation planning, community cooperation, A resilient community is better able to survive and recover from wildfire.
Rounds - Short pieces of firewood length tree trunk.
Sawyer - This person is a specialist in safely cutting down (felling) a tree.
Scrench - A combination screwdriver and wrench tool commonly used for chainsaw maintenance. A scrench is typically used to tighten or loosen the chain bar nuts, adjust chain tension, and remove or install spark plugs. The name comes from combining the words: screwdriver + wrench = scrench.
Selective Tree Thinning - Carefully choosing which trees need to be removed in a densely forested area to promote biodiversity among tree species
Shelter in Place - Remaining inside a structure or protected location during an emergency rather than evacuating. Shelter in place may be recommended when evacuation is unsafe or impossible. In wildfire situations, sheltering in place should only occur under specific circumstances and guidance from emergency officials.
Situational Awareness - An understanding of current conditions, hazards, surroundings, and changing circumstances that may affect safety and decision-making. In wildfire situations, situational awareness includes awareness of: weather, fire behavior, escape route, nearby hazards, and changing conditions. Good situational awareness improves safety and response effectiveness.
Slash - Branches, bushes, small trees and other natural debris; a pile of cut branches. Stacked in a safe location for eventual burning or in a manner most convenient for chipping.
Snag - A tree which falls into another tree naturally or while being felled by a sawyer.
Spot Fire - A fire started by embers ahead of the main fire.
Stem - Any tree on a property and that includes everything from a sapling to a mature tree.
Structure Ignition - The process by which a home or building catches fire during a wildfire. Most homes are ignited by: embers, radiant heat, or nearby combustible materials rather than direct contact with large flames. Reducing structure ignition risk is a primary goal of home hardening and defensible space.
Surface Fire - A fire that advances while burning fuel on the ground. Naturally occurring woody material on the ground and debris from cutting down trees (commonly known as slash) which may increase the intensity of a fire
Suppression - Actions taken to control, contain, or extinguish a wildfire. Suppression activities may include: fire engines, hand crews, aircraft, fire lines, water drops, fuel breaks. Modern fire science recognizes that not all fires can or should be fully suppressed under all conditions. Up to 85% of what is "burned over" is beneficial to the environment in a wildland fire according to Moore Foundation research.
Swamper - The person who drags the cut branches away from the downed tree.
S-212 / FAL2 (formerly S-212 Wildland Fire Chainsaws) - A specialized wildland fire training course focused on the safe operation of chainsaws during wildfire suppression and mitigation activities. Historically known as: S-212 Wildland Fire Chainsaws, Some training systems are transitioning terminology and qualification structures, including the newer FAL2 (Faller 2), Training typically includes: chainsaw safety, felling techniques, limbing and bucking, hazard tree assessment, escape routes, saw maintenance, wildfire operational safety. This training is considered advanced and emphasizes both technical skill and risk management. (Many NoFloCo members have attended the classroom portion of this training but to not attempt to maintain and are not required by NoFloCo to recertify in this.)
Torch / Torching - When a tree or small group of trees suddenly ignites and burns intensely into the canopy.
Vertical Fuel Continuity - Continuous vegetation from ground to canopy that allows fire to climb upward.
Wedge - A plastic or metal tool placed into a saw cut while felling a tree to help control the direction of the fall and prevent the tree from pinching the chainsaw bar. Wedges may also: help lift the tree slightly, encourage movement in the intended direction, and improve safety during felling operations.
Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) - Wildland Urban Interface. This is anyplace where homes are built in an environment likely to burn in a wildfire. This is not the dictionary definition, but reflects changing views on what it constitutes. The Marshall Fire burned 1,100 homes that were not in the mountains or a forest, prompting a bit of rethink. Any area where structures and other human developments meet or intermingle with wildland vegetative fuels.
Zone 0 - The structure itself.
Zone 1 - The area within 5 feet of the structure. In some discussions, also includes Zone 0.
Zone 2 - The area from 5 feet to 30 feet of the structure.
Zone 3 - The area from 30 feet to 100 feet from the structure.
Zone 4 - The area from 100 feet to the property line.
Concepts:
Hazard vs Risk - Hazard refers to something that has the potential to cause harm, such as dry vegetation, steep slopes, or high winds. Risk refers to the likelihood that the hazard will actually cause damage or loss. A hazard may exist without high risk if there are no homes, people, or values exposed to it. Example: A dense forest is a hazard. Homes built within that forest increase the wildfire risk.
Preparedness vs Prevention - Preparedness means taking steps in advance to improve safety and response during an emergency. This includes defensible space, evacuation planning, emergency supplies, and home hardening. Prevention means actions intended to stop a fire from starting in the first place, such as safe equipment use, burn restrictions, or avoiding sparks during high fire danger. Preparedness accepts that fires may still occur. Prevention attempts to reduce the chance they begin.
Fire Resistant vs Fireproof - Fire Resistant materials or construction can slow ignition and reduce fire damage, but may still burn under intense heat or prolonged exposure. Fireproof suggests something cannot burn or be damaged by fire under any conditions. Very few building materials or systems are truly fireproof in a wildfire environment. Most wildfire mitigation focuses on improving fire resistance, not achieving complete fireproofing.