Selecting and Maintaining Firewise Plants for Landscaping

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Keep America Beautiful
Prevent Wildfires
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Overview

• The Wildland/Urban Interface
• Wildfire in Virginia 2008
• What is Firewise Landscaping
• Firewise Landscaping
• Defensible Space
• The Zone Concept
• Firewise Examples
• Fire Resistant Plants

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www.firewisevirginia.org
www.dof.virginia.gov
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My 4Rs
1st R
RISK
2nd R
RESPONSIBILITY
3rd R
REWARDS
4th R
RESPECT
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Wildland Urban Interface
The urbanization of wildland areas, bringing
together a blend of people and nature.
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How we define Wildland Urban Interface

• The area where human development meets and/or
  intermingles with undeveloped wildland. Where
  individual and community values may be threatened
  by a wildfire.
• Values such as
• Personal property
• Watersheds
• Wildlife habitat
• Recreation
• Economic development
• Public health
• Land stewardship/emotional connectedness to the
  land

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9 out of 10 Wildfires are caused by human
negligence. Therefore 9 out of 10 can be
prevented. However there is that 1 in 10 that we
need to be concerned about!
If you live in or near woodlands If you have a
business in or near woodlands If you play in
or near woodlands
YOU ARE AT RISK !
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Why are Woodland Homes at Risk?

• Vegetation
• Structure
• Location

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THE WILDLANDFIRE PROBLEM
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A Wildfire Risk ?

• This is VIRGINIAnot California !
• Many Virginians are generally unaware that
  wildfire poses a real threat to their forest
  land, their homes and themselves.

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Wildfire in Virginia

• 1,200 wildfires per year
• 10,000 acres burned per year
• Most wildfires in Virginia are kept small due to
  rapid response by Fire Departments working
  cooperatively with the Department of Forestry.

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Virginia Statistics
Homes/Structures Damaged or Destroyed by Wildfire
One structure (home, garage, barn etc) is
threatened for every 6 acres burned.

• 62
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2008 66
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2008

• 16 homes damaged or destroyed
• 50 other structures damaged
• 1,325 fires
• 25,709 acres burned
• 2/10/08 335 fires for 16,000 acres

1.5 million structure 13.25 million timber
873,500.00 suppression costs
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1,021,037,913.00
Value of homes "protected" 1998-2008
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Where there are people, there is fire!

• 95 of all wildfires are started by people
• Top fire causes in Virginia
• Escaped debris burning
• Arson

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Virginias Woodland Homes
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Over the last 5 years Virginia lost 257 homes
and/or other structures to wildfires.
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Home Burning Wildland Fire
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Types of Fires
Ground Surface Crown
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Surface Fire
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Crown Fire
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A typical large wildfire in Virginia, started by
careless debris burning.
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Afton Mountain Fire and a Firewise Home!
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How do woodland homes ignite?
Directly... by the fire
itself
Indirectly... by fire brands
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4 Rs

• RISK
• RESPONSIBILITY
• REWARDS
• RESPECT

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So What is YOUR Responsibility ?
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What is Firewise Landscaping?

• Firewise Landscaping creates or changes the
  vegetation around a woodland home to improve fire
  protection and prepares a property or community
  in the event of a wildfire.

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• Before we talk mostly about landscaping we must
  take a quick look at another piece of the puzzle
  and thats Firewise Construction and Location.

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Sparks, some landing on the roof and adjacent
vegetation, some falling harmlessly to the ground.
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Cracked Windows
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Helping your LocalFire Department
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Broom1.avi
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FIRESCAPE - FIREWISELANDSCAPE DESIGN

• Firescaping is landscape design that reduces
  house and property vulnerability to wildfire.
• The goal is to develop a landscape with a design
  and choice of plants that offers the best fire
  protection and enhances the property.
• The ideal is to surround the house with things
  that are less likely to burn.
• It is imperative when building homes in
  wildfire-prone areas that fire safety be a major
  factor in landscape design.
• Appropriate manipulation of the landscape can
  make a significant contribution toward wildfire
  survival.

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Firewise Landscaping

• The Concepts
• 30-100 feet wide safety zone
• Minimize the amount of fuel
• Eliminate the opportunity for flames to come in
  direct contact with homes or other structures
• Prevent plant-to-plant spread of fire
• Use fire-resistant mulches and ground covers
• Use fire resistant plants

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Defensible Space
Lawn can be an effective landscape feature in a
firescape.

• Minimizes fuel between house and surrounding
  forest
• Provides a safe area for firefighters to work
• Can help a house to stand alone and survive an
  approaching wildfire if firefighter do not arrive
  in time.

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The Zone Concept

• Zone 1 ? 5-10 from the house
• Prevent direct flame contact
• Zone 2 ? 10-30 from the house
• Stop fire spread
• Zone 3 ? 30-100 from the house
• Slow down or stop fire
• Zone 4 ? the surrounding area
• Minimize the intensity of an approaching fire

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Defensible Space
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Selecting and Maintaining Firewise Plants for
Landscaping
Through proper plant selection, placement and
maintenance, we can diminish the possibility of
ignition, lower fire intensity, and reduce how
quickly a fire spreads, thereby increasing a
homes survivability. In firescaping, plant
selection is primarily determined by a plants
ability to reduce the wildfire threat.
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• Selecting landscape plants based on their
  flammability can be challenging.
• Few existing plant guides list firewise plants or
  rank plants by their flammability.
• However, by considering several key plant
  characteristics we can make an informed decision
  about which plants to select.

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• Choose firewise plants.
• These are plants with a high moisture content.
  They are low growing. Their stems and leaves are
  not resinous, oily or waxy.
• Deciduous trees are generally more fire resistant
  than evergreens because they have a higher
  moisture content when in leaf, but a lower fuel
  volume when dormant.

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What Plant Parts Fuel the Fire?

• Plants (vegetation) are the primary fuel during
  wildfires, both living and dead plant material
  will burn.
• When comparing the flammability of different
  plants, one should first consider the leaves and
  small branches.
• The most important characteristics of light fuels
  that influence their flammability are

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The amount of water in the leaf, or its moisture
content.
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The size and shape of leaves.
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The presence of oils, resins (tree sap), waxes,
or other chemicals in leaves or branches.
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Whole-Plant Flammability

• The overall flammability of a plant is dependent
  on the relative flammability of its leaves and
  branches, and how they are arranged.
• Shrubs and trees differ in their flammability
  based on several characteristics.

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Branching Patterns
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Deciduous vs. Evergreen
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Retention of dead leaves and branches.
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Planting the right plant in the right place.
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Placement and maintenance of trees and shrubs is
as important as actual plant selection. When
planning tree placement in the landscape,
remember their size at maturity. Keep tree limbs
at least 15 feet from chimneys, power lines and
structures.
Firescape design uses driveways, lawns, walkways,
patios, parking areas, areas with inorganic
mulches, and fences constructed of nonflammable
materials such as rock, brick, or cement to
reduce fuel loads and create fuel breaks.
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Plant Arrangement within the Landscaped Area
and Beyond.

• Similar to individual plants, the flammability of
  groups of landscaped plants is influenced
  significantly by their vertical and horizontal
  arrangement.
• To discuss how plant arrangement influences the
  overall flammability, it is useful to first
  discuss general differences between broad
  categories of plants.

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Grasses
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Shrubs
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Trees
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Flowers
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Vertical and Horizontal separation.
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Routine Maintenance is Essential !

• Maintain vertical and horizontal separation.
• Prune trees and shrubs periodically.
• Remove dead leaves and branches.
• Remove dead annual plants.
• Water plants adequately.

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4 Rs

• RISK
• RESPONSIBILITY
• REWARDS
• RESPECT

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4 Rs

• RISK
• RESPONSIBILITY
• REWARDS
• RESPECT

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Summary

• High moisture content.
• Broad and thick leaves.
• Low chemical content.
• Open and loose branching patterns.
• Deciduousness.
• Low amounts of dead material.

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http//www.advancedmastergardener.org/Handbook/
Fire Wisdom and Planet KindnessThe Land Care
Steward Program of the Virginia Cooperative
Extension Master Gardeners
Land Care
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Your House Can't Stop Drop and Roll !
Is Your House Firewise ?
Are You Firewise?
FIREFIGHTERS need your help. Learn ways to
PREPARE your home and PROTECT your family and
pets. Take action now to make your home safer
from the effects of a destructive
wildfire. www.firewisevirginia.org
www.firewise.org
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How a firefighter sees a woodland home
Defendable
Non-defendable
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Additional Sites www.invasive.org Everything you
always wanted to know
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• There will always be coast. Costs of
  landscaping, costs of improvements
• Balance these against the cost of replacing your
  home, your belongings, your memories. So in the
  grand scheme of things the costs of being
  firewise far outweigh the cost of not!

Using firescaping principals in design is one of
the most critical things you as landscape
designers can do to provide those you work for
the best possible protection from wildfires.
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Questions ?