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Index : Miscellaneous Gardening Topics
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- 19. Protecting Your Home from Wildfires - Top
- Protecting Your Home from Wildfires
Continued drought in the Southwest is a contributing factor for the increased number and severity of wildfires. With little relief in sight the intensity of these fires will likely increase. Even foothill communities well down the mountain slopes are no longer out of range of these fires. This became frighteningly evident with last year's fire on Mt. Lemmon. But there are precautions homeowners can take to protect their homes from wildfire.
Fire-resistant landscaping is one way of protecting your home by keeping flammable plant materials around your home to a minimum. It doesn't mean you have to clear your property of all it's vegetation, but rather make strategic decisions about where plants should be located and how to properly maintain them. Fire-resistant landscaping also includes the use of plant species for your landscape that are more fire-resistant.
When thinking how to be fire-wise with your landscape, consider spaces around your home as zones of defense:
Zone 1 is the area closest to your home. It extends out 15 to 30 feet from the house, measured from the outside edge of the roof and any attached structures, such as decks, wooden fences, arbors or ramadas. In this space, planting should be kept to a minimum. Nothing should be growing within 3 to 5 feet of the house or attached structures. Beyond this point, the fewer the plants you have and farther spaced they are, the better. It is advised to remove all trees from Zone 1. However, if you must have a tree within this space, consider it as part of the house structure and extend the defensible space accordingly.
In Zone 1, use rock mulch as a ground cover. Paving materials such as brick, decorative concrete pavers, and flagstone are ways to dress up areas adjacent to the home and within Zone 1 to provide an attractive setting with little or no plants. Stones and boulders are also great decorative enhancements for fire-resistant landscapes. When possible, extend these non-combustible materials out farther into Zone 2.
Zone 2 is an area extending out 75 to 125 feet from the house. It is the transition between zone 1 and zone 3 (the managed forest or, below the timber line, the area of native desert vegetation). Trees in Zone 2 should be thinned so that the ends of the branches of one tree is no closer that 10 feet to the ends of the branches of another tree. The same is true of shrubs, but small groupings of shrubs may exist. The edges of these shrub groupings should however be spaced 10 feet from other shrub groupings or individuals.
For a pleasing transition, vegetation in Zone 2 should be thinnest where it borders Zone 1, gradually thickening as it approaches Zone 3.
All trees, regardless of the Zone they're located in should have all lower branches removed up to a height of 10 feet above ground, or half the height of the tree, whichever is least. So, if you have a tree that, lets say, is only 10 feet tall then it's acceptable to remove the branches up 5 feet above ground rather that 10 feet. Also, plant material under the canopy of trees should be removed. Growth under trees can serve as a "ladder" allowing fire to climb from the ground into the tree canopy.
Trees, shrubs and ground cover plants should be cleared of any dead limbs, branches and stems. It's important to keep plants healthy. When possible, plants should also be irrigated, especially in Zones 1 and 2, to keep them well hydrated and lower their potential risk to burn. Grasses areas in Zone 1 should be reduced and kept cut to a maximum height of 3 inches. Grasses in Zone 2 should be cut to a height of no more than 8 inches. String trimmers (a.k.a "weed eaters") work best for mowing down grasses on uneven ground.
In addition to the proper placement and maintenance of plants, the type or species of plants should also be considered. Some plants are more fire-resistant than others. In general, native, drought adapted plants with smaller leaves tend to be less combustible. Plants that shed their leaves or needles in extreme drought and deciduous plants that drop their leaves each season are more fire resistant. Because of their high moisture content, cacti and succulents are also more fire-resistant.
Fire resistant plants and landscaping are just part of a total fire-wise approach to protecting homes and communities from wildfires. For more information on protecting your home from wildfires visit the Arizona Firewise Communities web-site at: www.cals.arizona.edu/firewise, or contact the University of Arizona's Fire Education Agent, Alix Rogstad at: arogstad@ag.arizona.edu
Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona,
520-626-5161. - Updated: August 1, 2004
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