LANDSCAPING WITH FIRESMART IN MIND November 19 th , 2017 Victoria - - PDF document

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LANDSCAPING WITH FIRESMART IN MIND

November 19th, 2017 Victoria Master Gardener Associa<on

Fireweed: Epilobium angus.folium

AGENDA

• What is FireSmart?
• Fire triangle
• What is FireSmart Landscaping?

– design – plant selec<on – maintenance

WHAT IS FIRESMART?

• FireSmart is reducing the risk to communi<es by living

with and managing for wildland fire on our landscape.

– The seven FireSmart disciplines help us to address the threat of wildfire:

• Educa<on
• Vegeta<on management
• Legisla<on and planning
• Development considera<ons
• Interagency coopera<on
• Emergency planning
• Cross training

v hRps://www.firesmartcanada.ca/

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• Fire behaviour is influenced by:
• 1. Fuel
• 2. Weather
• 3. Topography
• Fire spread and intensity is influenced by these

3 elements

• This presenta<on focuses on the fuel

component:

• Fuel is the most easily modified
• Fuel is vegeta<on (wildland fuels) and

buildings or other combus<bles (built fuels).

FIRE BEHAVIOUR TRIANGLE

PRIORITY ZONES

10 m

Zone #1 10 m Zone #2 30 m Zone #3 180 m Home IgniEon Zones (HIZ)

• Priority Zones 1 & 2

are the most cri<cal

• Priority Zone 1: Remove

most trees and brush within 10 metres (30 feet)

• f structures.
• Priority Zone 2: Thin trees

and brush up to 30 metres (100 feet) of structures.

Design

• Do not support the spread of fire
• most wildfires begin as surface fires

– Effec<ve design

• ver<cal
• horizontal

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VERTICAL

• A fuel ladder is a term for live or dead vegeta<on that allows a fire to

climb up from the landscape into the tree canopy.

• Common fuel ladders include: tall grasses, shrubs, and tree branches, both

living and dead.

HORIZONTAL

• Strategically place plants
• Spacing of vegeta<on can reduce fire intensity
• Use decora<ve rock, pathways, retaining walls
• Design ponds, streams

WATER USAGE

• In many wildland/urban interface areas water

usage is also an ongoing concern

• Even in the driest regions, homeowners can

conserve water, and have beau<ful fire safe landscapes

• Plan your landscape for water use

– Group plants with high water use together

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LOW WATER USE PLANTS

Siberian Peashrub: Caragana arborescens Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa Fragrant Sumac: Rhus aroma<ca Hen-and-chicks: Sempervivum sp Arbutus: Arbutus menziesii Saskatoon: Amelanchier alnifolia Saltbrush: Atriplex sp

LAWN

• A healthy lawn can be:

– fire resistant landscape – effec<ve fuel break

• Considera<ons:

– ensure lawn is gebng the right amount of water to keep it green (~2.5 cm a week) – introduce clovers to keep green, less water use – keep mowed to a max height of 10 cm – replace areas that are difficult to mow – replace sec<ons of the lawn with more fire-resistant groundcovers and shrubs – replace with hard surfaces, decora<ve rock, walkways, gravels

XERISCAPING

• Water conserva<on through crea<ve landscaping
• Fire resistant landscaping

– use fire resistant plants – reduces turf – use fire resistant mulches to retain moisture in soil – low maintenance

• Does not sacrifice beauty to prevent fire
• Principles of xeriscaping can be applied to any

landscape style and can be as plain or elaborate as desired

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IS THERE A FIRE PROOF PLANT?

SELECT RIGHT PLANT

• Unhealthy plants can be a

greater fire risk:

– Consider wisely:

• hardiness zone
• loca<on
• maintenance
• water requirements
• sun/shade requirements
• wind
• na<ve plants

FLAMMABLE PLANTS:

• Contribute to the fuel and the fire’s intensity

– Contain fine, dry, dead material within the plant such as twigs, needles, and leaves – Loose papery bark – Age – Volume

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FLAMMABLE PLANTS

– Stems, branches or leaves contain vola<le waxes, terpenes or oils

• leaves are aroma<c, strong odor when crushed
• gummy, resinous sap with a strong odour
• a s<cky flammable organic substance, insoluble in

water, exuded by some trees and other plants (notably fir and pine).

• Many plants, par<cularly woody plants, produce

resin in response to injury. The resin acts as a bandage protec<ng the plant from invading insects and pathogens

PLANTS TO AVOID

Pampas Grass: Cortaderia selloana Broom: Genista sp. Holly: Ilex spp. Juniper: Juniperus spp. Pine: Pinus spp

PLANTS TO AVOID

Cedar, Arborvitae: Thuja spp. Yew: Taxus spp. Colorado Spruce: Picea pungens Fountain Grass: Pennisetum spp.

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INVASIVE & NOXIOUS PLANTS

Scobsh Broom: Cy<sus scoparius Gorse: Ulex europaeus Canada thistle: Cirsium arvense English holly: Ilex aquifolium Foxtail Grass: Alopecurus Crabgrass: Digitaria

INTENSITY OF A FIRE

• The 1991 Oakland Hills fire in California is a

prime example of how flammable plant material (Eucalyptus trees) can act as fuel and contribute to the intensity of a wildfire. More than 3,000 homes were destroyed in that devasta<ng wildfire.

– contain flammable oils that encourage fire

FIRE RESISTANT PLANTS:

• Do not significantly fuel, increase fire intensity

– Moist, supple leaves (ignite and burn slower) – LiRle dead wood or accumulate dead material – Open branching habits (less fuel for fire) – Fewer total branches and leaves (less fuel for fire) – Have a slow growing habit (less pruning required) – Water-like sap with liRle or no odour – Low amount of sap or resin material – Low growing habit

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ANNUALS

Snap Dragon: An<rrhinum majus Geranium: Pelargonium Sweet Pea: Lathyrus odoratus Salvia: Salvia sp Dusty Miller: Senecio cineraria Pansy: Viola sp

PERENNIALS

Yarrow: Achillea sp Bergenia: Bergenia cordifolia Lavender: Lavandula sp Lamb’s Ear: Stachys byzan<na Oriental poppy: Papaver orientale Red hot poker: Kniphofia uvaria

BULBS

Crocus: Crocus Nodding Onion: Allium cernuum Tulip: Tulipa sp Daffodil: Narcissus sp. Lily: Lillium sp

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TREES

Poplar: Populus sp Cherry Tree: Prunus sp Dogwood: Cornus sp

SHRUBS

Sumac: Rhus glabra Rugosa rose: Rosa rugosa Black currant: Ribes nigrum Honeysuckle: Lonicera sp Cotoneaster: Cotoneaster sp

GROUND COVER

Sedum: Sedum Hens & chicks: Echeveria sp. Creeping Phlox: Phlox subulata

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VEGETABLE GARDEN

Arbutus: Arbutus menziesii Douglas fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii Big leaf maple: Acer macrophyllum Salal: Gaultheria shallon Oregon grape: Mahonia aquifolium Western red cedar: Thuja plicata Ocean spray: Holodiscus discolor

WHAT ABOUT NATIVE PLANTS?

MULCH

• Bark and pine needle mulch

– firebrands from a wildfire or cigareRes can ignite dry bark mulch, conveying the fire to your home

• Maintain a 1.5 metre combus<ble free perimeter

along the walls of buidlings.

– avoid using bark mulch in this zone.

• You may also consider using less flammable types

mulch in the remainder of Zone 1

– gravel or decora<ve rock, rubber, or a combina<on

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MAINTENANCE

• Pruning

– well pruned:

• prune lower tree limbs 3-5 meters from the ground
• decrease density by increased space between branches
• Irriga<on:

– maintain required watering in vegeta<on

• Clean-up

– remove combus<ble materials from yard and roof

• including: firewood, twigs, needles and leaves, dry or cured

grasses and shrubs, wood piles, building material, cardboard boxes and solvents

• compost

CONCLUSION

Landscaping with FireSmart in mind – design – plant selec<on – maintenance

REFERENCES

• FireSmart hRps://www.firesmartcanada.ca/
• FireSmart Guide to Landscaping hRps://www.firesmartcanada.ca/resources-library/firesmart-guide-to-landscaping
• Master Gardeners Associa<on of BC: hRp://www.mgabc.org/content/victoria
• Cal Fire: hRp://www.readyforwildfire.org/Fire-Safe-Landscaping/
• Oregon State University:

hRp://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/20921/*pnw590.pdfarson

• Home Landscaping For Fire, University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources

hRp://firecenter.berkeley.edu/docs/CE_homelandscaping.pdf

• UBC: hRp://campusplanning.ok.ubc.ca/__shared/assets/UBCO_Wildland_Fire_Mngt_Plan_Final_July_2850574.pdf
• UofA: hRps://sites.ualberta.ca/~flanniga/publica<ons/2008-19.057-66.pdf
• FireWise Org: hRp://www.firewise.org/wildfire-preparedness/be-firewise/home-and-landscape/faqs.aspx?sso=0