Travis Audubon Wildfire Position Statement – January 2025

The woodlands of the Texas Hill Country are a fire adapted ecosystem. Low intensity fire caused by lightning strikes would burn through the landscape, creating clearings for various species to grow and reducing understory fuels. As a result, many of the hardwood species found in this ecosystem exhibit some degree of tolerance to fire. Humans have drastically changed the fire regime over time, at first with Native Americans utilizing fire as a forest management tool and later with ranchers burning as a low-cost method to clear land of undesirable species and promote profitable ones. As more people moved to the central Texas region, the use of fire decreased over time and has fundamentally come to an end in many places, especially in densely populated urban settings. The unintended consequences of a lack of fire include the buildup of fuels, fewer natural openings, and the spread of Ashe Juniper across much of the landscape. There will always be a risk of wildfire to structures directly adjacent to woodlands.  In extreme cases, structures a half-mile or more from a crown fire are subjected to the risk of flying embers. While it is impossible to completely negate the chance of wildfire, there are many proven strategies to mitigate ignition and possible structure damage.

Travis Audubon Society’s 714-acre Baker sanctuary is a wildlife preserve created for the federally endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler (GCWA). The GCWA requires a roughly 70:30 ratio of Ashe Juniper to hardwoods in a closed canopy, mature woodland setting for successfully breeding. Established in 1966, Baker Sanctuary was the first ever wildlife preserve for the GCWA. When the preserve was originally established, Leander and Cedar Park were far less populated. Beginning in the 1990s, ranchland owned by Bill Millburn adjacent to the southeastern border of the preserve was sold and developed into the densely populated Cypress Creek subdivision. In 2019, a shaded fuel break was installed on the eastern edge of the preserve, adjacent to the subdivision. Travis Audubon Society used the protocol developed by US Fish and Wildlife Service and Travis County for shaded fuel break installation with the goal of reducing the chances of surface fires entering the preserve and spreading into the canopy while maintaining high-quality breeding habitat for the GCWA. The shaded fuel break is designed specifically to reduce the chance of surface fires from the wildland/urban interface (i.e. the neighborhood) entering the woodland and climbing into the canopy to become destructive crown fires. Shaded fuel breaks are not effective at reducing the chances of fire moving from the woodlands into urban areas, since the greatest threat to structures is from flying embers generated by crown fires.  However, there are many proven techniques and actions that homeowners can undertake to lessen their risk of exposure to wildfire.

The Ready, Set, Go! program teaches homeowners how to fire-harden their homes and plan evacuation routes.

The Firewise program goes into more depth regarding fire-hardening individual homes but also covers how to develop a fire-hardened community.

The Texas A&M Forest Service will help communities develop a wildfire protection plan.

In addition to the resources mentioned above, local fire departments will also assist in fire-hardening homes and communities, offering advice, and addressing local concerns.

There is no silver bullet when it comes to wildfire protection but if communities act to collectively fire-harden their homes and stay vigilant when extreme weather presents itself, the risk of a disastrous wildfire can be significantly reduced.