Bob French

What are your priorities as a County Commissioner in dealing with the infestation and possible fire danger?

My priorities as a Summit County Commissioner are education, education,
education. There are still many property owners in Summit County--or
rather owners of property in Summit County--who are unaware of four main
elements of the pine beetle problem: (1) Beetles are part of a natural
cycle. They're here, and are going to stay here. (2) A property owner can
protect specific trees by spraying during the months of May and June.
Spraying may seem expensive but it's approximately one-eighth as costly as
removing beetle-killed trees. (3) Danger of wildfire is high when
evergreen needles are dead (red), less so when needles have fallen, and
again high when dead trees begin to topple, which may be as much as 10
years after the tree dies. (4) There will be life after pine beetles,
although older folks like myself may not live to see it. The forest will
regenerate, and likely be healthier for having gone through this painful
cycle.

What is Summit County doing to fight the infestation, protect trees, and inform residents about your efforts?

Summit County has generated a Community Wildfire Protection Plan which
identifies the locations where wildfire danger is highest and County assets
can best be deployed. Many of these locations are closely associated with
the pine beetle problem. The County also supports a Summit County Wildfire
Council which will guide education and public outreach efforts to provide
accurate information; coordinate efforts to work with homeowners
associations and the public to reduce wildfire risk on public and private
lane; review the CWPP and make revisions necessary to keep it up to date;
continuously evaluate and assess wildfire planning efforts and wildfire
protection strategies; and act as a central clearing house for wildfire
information. You can see that the beetle issue and wildfire issues are
intimately interwoven. The beetle problem is immediate and aesthetic; the
wildfire problem needs a somewhat longer range approach, but threatens
massive physical damage to persons, property, and natural features.

What can residents do to protect their property and assist local officials who are working on the problem?

Individuals can help by (1) learning as much as possible about the beetle
and fire issues and spreading this knowledge, (2) spraying trees on their
property which they want to save, and (3) joining in neighborhood fuel
reduction efforts.