Every year there are news clips of homes lost to wildfire. Many
people think they are lucky it wasn
’t their home. Luck may play a part, but there are steps
homeowners can take to reduce the risks of wildfire.
Every year there are news clips of homes lost to wildfire. Many people think they are lucky it wasn’t their home. Luck may play a part, but there are steps homeowners can take to reduce the risks of wildfire.
Three things that will determine a wildfire’s intensity: topography, weather and vegetation. Of those, homeowners and residents can only affect one: vegetation.
Now is the ideal time to get ready for fire season, while it is cool outside and the ground is moist. Proper design, plant selection, maintenance, and a minimum of 30 feet of clearance around the home can greatly reduce a fire’s intensity, lower the height of flames and reduce how fast the fire will spread.
A detailed fire-safe landscape design can increase a home’s chance of surviving a wildfire.
• Use low-growing “non-woody” plants that stay green all fire season (May to October).
• Use ornamental deciduous trees and scrubs that need to be kept green and free of dead, woody material.
• Use properly selected fire resistant plants: low growing, low maintenance plants with good moisture content.
• Trim or prune limbs 10 feet from chimneys, power lines or if they are touching the home. Reduce the risk of tree limbs growing into the power lines and creating a hazard by never planting trees under power lines or around power poles.
• Where possible, wildland trees and shrubs should be removed or reduced from the 30-foot zone around the home and replaced with more desirable fire resistant trees, shrubs and plants.
• Use non-combustible materials, such as pea gravel, as mulch between plants. Create fuel breaks around the home and property by installing walkways of concrete, bricks, gravel or crushed granite.
Remember. After designing and installing a “fire safe” landscape, schedule time to maintain it. Maintenance is key to a successful fire safe landscape. Trimming, raking, and removing dead material and unwanted weeds will increase a home’s chance of surviving a wildfire.
A fire safe landscape allows plants and garden elements to reveal their charm and natural beauty by providing space between plants and groupings of plants. In “firescaping” a home, open spaces around plants and shrubs are more important than any of the plants themselves.
For additional information about fire safe landscaping, contact the California Department of Forestry (South Santa Clara County Fire Protection District) station at 15670 Monterey Road. The CDF grounds include a fire safe landscaped area. Details: 779-5136 or visit www.fire.ca.gov/Education /FireSafety.asp
