Page 58 - Sonoma County Gazette - August 2018

Fire Safe Landscaping
By Eric Janzen of the City of Cloverdale, on behalf of RRWA
Many lessons were learned from the wildfires of 2017. The most important of
which is that any fire, with enough fuel and driven by wind can burn through almost anything. It is never possible to protect your property 100% but there are things you can do with landscaping to give your home a fighting chance.
The best defense begins with defensible space. Landscaping within the first 30’ of your home is critical. Planting low growing vegetation (waist high or lower), keeping trees pruned, and using automatic irrigation systems can do a lot to protect your home from wildfires
What Saved This House? - Photo courtesy of CDF
Fire resistant shrubs
Low growing plants
Get in the Zone.
Zone 1 is what firefighting professionals call the first 30’ from your home. This is the most critical area around your home and your last line of defense.
It does not have to be a no-man’s-land. Incorporating hardscape features into your landscaping plan like patios, meandering stone paths and low masonry walls can be used to form fuel breaks near your home. Plants are welcome here but need to be widely spaced in beds or containers and regularly irrigated. Water efficient automatic drip irrigation systems can protect your home by keeping your landscaping green in the dry season.
Keeping the fuel load low is the goal. Rake up leaves during the Summer and Fall and put them in your green trash can. Avoid using chipped mulch in this zone as it can harbor embers and ignite unexpectedly even after a wildfire has passed by.
Zone 2 extends another 70’ from your home. (for a total of 100’ defensible space). This is where careful pruning, wide plant spacing and mowing dry grass serve to reduce the intensity of the flames before they get
to your home. Planting fire-resistant plants like California Fuchsia, sage, and California Redbud not only resist catching fire but are also drought tolerant so less water is needed to keep them green. Maintenance is key in Zone 2 too, if you cannot easily walk through this zone, then it is overgrown and needs to be pruned and/or mowed.
In all zones, avoid planting “fire adapted” plants. These are plants that have adapted themselves to burn periodically and actually encourage wildfires.
Patios of
masonry within 30’ of the house
No leaves on the roof
Wide Driveway with turnaround
Landscape kept green
Trees separated & pruned so branches overhang the roof
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The Wildlands. As our homes and neighborhoods have crept into natural areas we have exposed ourselves to an environment that is meant to burn. If your home is near wildlands, careful landscape management is critical. Even the 100’ defensible space required by State Law might not be enough. If your home borders wildland it is critical that you maintain the land around your home to be fire safe.
Flirt with Firefighters. If your home has a defensible area and access
to water (nearby fire hydrant or a pool) firefighters can use your home as
a staging area. If you have a pool, consider installing a portable pump that firefighters can use. If you have space, include wide driveways and large turnaround spaces in your landscaping design. Many local fire departments offer free fire safety evaluations and will provide guidance on how to make your property firefighter friendly and wildfire-resistant.
Read the entire article at sonomacountygazette.com