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

17-11-17 LANDSCAPING WITH FIRESMART IN MIND November 19 th , 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/ 1

17-11-17 FIRE BEHAVIOUR TRIANGLE • 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). PRIORITY ZONES Home IgniEon Zones (HIZ) • Priority Zones 1 & 2 are the most cri<cal Zone #1 • Priority Zone 1: Remove 10 m most trees and brush 10 m within 10 metres (30 feet) Zone #2 of structures. 30 m • Priority Zone 2: Thin trees and brush up to 30 metres Zone #3 (100 feet) of structures. 180 m Design • Do not support the spread of fire • most wildfires begin as surface fires – Effec<ve design • ver<cal • horizontal 2

17-11-17 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 3

17-11-17 LOW WATER USE PLANTS Saltbrush: Siberian Peashrub: Atriplex sp Caragana arborescens Arbutus: Saskatoon: Arbutus menziesii Amelanchier alnifolia Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa Hen-and-chicks: Fragrant Sumac: Rhus aroma<ca Sempervivum 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 4

17-11-17 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 5

17-11-17 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 Broom: Genista sp. Juniper: Juniperus spp. Pine: Pinus spp Holly: Ilex spp. Pampas Grass: Cortaderia selloana PLANTS TO AVOID Fountain Grass: Pennisetum spp. Cedar, Arborvitae: Colorado Spruce: Thuja spp. Picea pungens Yew: Taxus spp. 6

17-11-17 INVASIVE & NOXIOUS PLANTS Gorse: Ulex europaeus Crabgrass: Digitaria Foxtail Grass: Alopecurus Canada thistle: Cirsium arvense English holly : Ilex aquifolium Scobsh Broom: Cy<sus scoparius 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 7

17-11-17 ANNUALS Snap Dragon: An<rrhinum majus Geranium: Pelargonium Sweet Pea: Lathyrus odoratus Dusty Miller: Senecio cineraria Salvia: Salvia sp Pansy: Viola sp PERENNIALS Lamb’s Ear: Stachys byzan<na Lavender: Lavandula sp Red hot poker: Kniphofia uvaria Oriental poppy: Papaver orientale Bergenia: Yarrow: Achillea sp Bergenia cordifolia BULBS Crocus: Crocus Daffodil: Narcissus sp. Nodding Onion: Allium cernuum Lily: Lillium sp Tulip: Tulipa sp 8

17-11-17 TREES Dogwood: Cornus sp Poplar: Populus sp Cherry Tree: Prunus sp SHRUBS Black currant: Ribes nigrum Cotoneaster: Cotoneaster sp Sumac: Rhus glabra Honeysuckle: Lonicera sp Rugosa rose: Rosa rugosa GROUND COVER Creeping Phlox: Phlox subulata Hens & chicks: Echeveria sp. Sedum: Sedum 9

17-11-17 VEGETABLE GARDEN WHAT ABOUT NATIVE PLANTS? Big leaf maple: Acer macrophyllum Salal: Gaultheria shallon Arbutus: Arbutus menziesii Ocean spray: Holodiscus discolor Oregon grape: Western red cedar: Douglas fir: Mahonia aquifolium Thuja plicata Pseudotsuga menziesii 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 10

17-11-17 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 11