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Firewise Landscaping Cassie Olgren, Parks and Trails Planner and Program Manager Town of Monument, Colorado ---PAGE BREAK--- Highlights 2 • Why firewise? • Key words and definitions • How does fire spread? • Design approaches • Maintenance practices • Plant selection • Favorite species • Questions? ---PAGE BREAK--- Key Words 3 • Firewise • Wildland-Urban Interface • Ignition resistant • Defensible space • Hardening • Ladder fuels • Home Ignition Zone • Foundation planting ---PAGE BREAK--- What does it mean to be Firewise? • Applying the best current knowledge about how to live safely and sustainably in a location vulnerable to fire. • Can and should be updated as new information becomes available. • Principles can be applied to the design of buildings, landscapes, parks, and roadways. • As it applies to structures and the surrounding landscape, the term “ignition resistant” is also used. 4 ---PAGE BREAK--- What does it mean to be Firewise? ……how to live safely and sustainably in a location vulnerable to fire. More and more homes are being built in the Wildland-Urban Interface, or WUI Defined as: the area where forests and human development overlap 5 ---PAGE BREAK--- 6 Photo courtesy of Coloradorealestatesearch.com ---PAGE BREAK--- 7 Photo courtesy of Buzzfeed News ---PAGE BREAK--- Wildland-Urban Interface Feedback loop in which pristine wildland that would have historically had periodic wildfire events are very appealing to developers. After development wildfire is suppressed. Fire suppression can contribute to increased severity of a wildfire. 8 ---PAGE BREAK--- 9 Courtesy of Colorado State Forest Service ---PAGE BREAK--- 10 Courtesy of Colorado State Forest Service ---PAGE BREAK--- 11 Courtesy of Colorado State Forest Service ---PAGE BREAK--- How does fire spread? • Embers – can travel long distances and ignite spot fires separate from main fire • Fuels – avoid leaving ladder fuels which help fire to spread upwards • Combustible materials serving as bridge or a fuse 12 ---PAGE BREAK--- 13 Embers generated during the Camp Fire. Photo: CAL FIRE and U.S. Fire Administration ---PAGE BREAK--- 14 Marshall Fire, Boulder County December 30th 2021 © Joe Harrison via Reuters ---PAGE BREAK--- 15 Pay attention to where plant debris collects, since embers are likely to end up in those same places. ---PAGE BREAK--- 16 ---PAGE BREAK--- 17 ---PAGE BREAK--- How does fire spread? • Embers – can travel long distances and ignite spot fires separate from main fire • Fuels – avoid leaving ladder fuels which help fire to spread upwards • Combustible materials serving as bridge or a fuse 18 ---PAGE BREAK--- 19 Image courtesy of Oregon State University Land Stewardship Program ---PAGE BREAK--- How does fire spread? • Embers – can travel long distances and ignite spot fires separate from main fire • Fuels – avoid leaving ladder fuels which help fire to spread upwards • Combustible materials serving as bridge or a fuse Presentation title 20 ---PAGE BREAK--- 21 ---PAGE BREAK--- 22 ---PAGE BREAK--- 23 Image courtesy of Texas Forest Service, 2011 ---PAGE BREAK--- 24 The Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) Illustration: Bonnie Palmatory, Colorado State University The home and the area around the home (or structure). The HIZ takes into account both the potential of the structure to ignite and the quality of defensible space surrounding it. ---PAGE BREAK--- 25 Illustration: Bonnie Palmatory, Colorado State University ---PAGE BREAK--- Zone 1 - The First 5 Feet • In order to help prevent flames from coming into direct contact with the structure. • If structure has siding of wood or other flammable material, install nonflammable groundcover within the first 5 feet of structure and decks and plant nothing. • If structure has noncombustible siding such as stucco or brick, widely spaced, low-growing plants can be planted. 26 ---PAGE BREAK--- Zone 1 - The First 5 Feet • If planting withing the first 5 feet, do not plant directly under windows or vents. • Do not allow continuous areas of grass adjacent to foundation plantings. • Remove all trees from zone 1. If you keep any trees in zone 1, consider it a part of the structure and extend the distance of zone one accordingly. 27 ---PAGE BREAK--- 28 Image source: © ---PAGE BREAK--- 29 ---PAGE BREAK--- 30 Image source: ---PAGE BREAK--- 31 Photo courtesy of Monrovia Rethinking foundation plantings ---PAGE BREAK--- 32 Photo courtesy of Fine Gardening Magazine Photo courtesy of TheTreeFarm.com ---PAGE BREAK--- 33 Foundation plantings • Avoid resinous plants • Avoid plants which accumulate a lot of needles or dry material around and inside growing zone • Plant only low-growing varieties • Use gravel mulch, wherever possible • Blow or rake out loose, fallen plant material seasonally, where practical • Provide space between plants and spread noncombustable mulch between ---PAGE BREAK--- 34 ---PAGE BREAK--- 35 ---PAGE BREAK--- 36 ---PAGE BREAK--- 37 ---PAGE BREAK--- 38 ---PAGE BREAK--- 39 The Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) Illustration: Bonnie Palmatory, Colorado State University The home and the area around the home (or structure). The HIZ takes into account both the potential of the structure to ignite and the quality of defensible space surrounding it. ---PAGE BREAK--- 40 Illustration: Bonnie Palmatory, Colorado State University ---PAGE BREAK--- 41 ---PAGE BREAK--- 42 • Creating purposeful fuel breaks • Limb up existing trees to 10 feet above the ground, if possible. (Never prune more than 1/3 of the crown in 1 year.) • Thin existing trees to 10 foot spacing. • Plan to plant any new trees with 20-25 foot spacing to allow for future growth. • Remove dead or diseased trees and plants in a timely manner. ---PAGE BREAK--- 43 Image source: © ---PAGE BREAK--- 44 ---PAGE BREAK--- 45 ---PAGE BREAK--- 46 ---PAGE BREAK--- 47 Additional design considerations • Integrate purposeful fuel breaks • Consider arrangement of plants and materials that will facilitate ease of maintenance • Adopt an attitude of “not if, but when” (If your home is in a flood zone, you get flood insurance) • “Harden” your design by incorporating stone wherever possible ---PAGE BREAK--- 48 ---PAGE BREAK--- 49 ---PAGE BREAK--- 50 ---PAGE BREAK--- Firewise Plants Presentation title 51 The best Firewise (or Ignition Resistant) plants are: • Succulent • High moisture • Low resin • Thrive in gravel mulch ---PAGE BREAK--- 52 ---PAGE BREAK--- 53 • Allium ‘Millenium’ • Delosperma nubigenum AKA Ice Plant ‘Hardy Yellow’ ---PAGE BREAK--- 54 • Centranthus ruber Jupiter’s Beard AKA Red Valerian • Iris germanica German Iris • Siberian and Japanese Iris are also great! • Ajuga reptans AKA Bugleweed, Carpet Bugle ---PAGE BREAK--- 55 Ajuga reptans ‘Burgundy Glow’ Heuchera ‘Alabama Sunrise’ Saponaria x lempergii, Soapwort ‘Max Frei’ ---PAGE BREAK--- 56 Campanula rotundifolia Blue Harebell Sedum ‘Firecracker’ ---PAGE BREAK--- 57 Vinca minor ‘Illumination’ ---PAGE BREAK--- 58 ---PAGE BREAK--- 59 Veronica Reavis, Speedwell and Veronica prostrata, Prostrate Speedwell Yucca filamentosa, ‘Color guard’ ---PAGE BREAK--- 60 Thymus, ssp., Red Thyme Allium schoenoprasum, Culinary Chives Cerastium tomentosum, Snow-in-Summer ---PAGE BREAK--- 61 ---PAGE BREAK--- Firewise Landscaping Resources 62 Home Ignition Zone _Colorado State Forest Service Defensible Space Quick Guide _ Colorado State Forest Service Firewise Plant Materials _ Colorado State University Extension