A Fire Defensible Yard

A recent article in the paper got my attention: after a recent brush fire, a Bend Fire Fighter (they're some great people!) says the homeowners in the neighborhood helped the fire fighters by creating a defensible zone around their homes.

What exactly IS a defensible zone, you ask? And can it help if a wildfire or forest fire is headed your way?

I've found some interesting information from a couple universities in fire-prone places: California and Colorado.

We all have mental pictures of wildfires - flames leaping from treetop to treetop.  But fire is a nasty enemy that can move far more easily and far more quickly than most of us can imagine.

The first evidence of danger are wind-blown embers, traveling up to a mile ahead of a ground fire. If they land on combustible material, they've brought the fire directly to your front door.

As a wildfire gets closer, radiant air heats surface temperatures and combustible materials readily ignite.

What can you do? First, you need to think like a hungry fire - go after what is easiest to devour: dry ground materials. The dry brush under trees in the forest is great fuel - does your home have the same environment? Have you surrounded your house with wood bark chips? Many of us have chosen chips over compost mulch since the chips don't decompose as quickly and steal nitrogen from the plants nearby. But unless you've kept the bark chips damp (not a waterwise behaviour), they can ignite very easily. A safer answer would be gravel or rock. Or a ground cover since the best materials surrounding your home should be GREEN.


I've read about a fire behavour that's called Laddering - like climbing a ladder, the fire moves from the ground to taller and taller plants until the tallest trees are engulfed. Keeping the fire as low and close to the ground as possible decreases the temperatures and, therefore, the combustion.

Remove the brown in your yard: dead branches in shrubs, ornamental plants that have finished for the season and are now dormant and, especially, the lower branches of tall trees up to 15 feet, or one-third of the tree height.

Dense plantings make it easier for the wind to push the fire through the yard. If plants are spaced apart, it takes more effort for the wind to move the fire.

Riverside (CA) County Fire Dept.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If your home sits on a steep slope or in a windswept location (usually at the top of a hill), the zone around your home needs to be even more carefully maintained. And don't forget that stack of winter firewood - be sure it's at least 30' from your house.

Once you've reviewed your current landscape and taken the steps to make it more defensible, it might be time to consider replacing your plants with more fire-resistant plants.

Keep in mind that nothing is fireproof - even metal and glass can melt in a very hot fire. Consider fire resistant plants that won't accelerate fire conditions:

1. High moisture content in the leaves. Deciduous trees hold water better than evergreens. Succulents and sedums have a high water content.
2. Little to no accumulated or seasonal dead vegetation in the plant, such as older dry needles in pines.
3. Low resin plants: our local junipers have a high resin content and are very prone to ignition.
4. Open branching to allow air to circulate, preventing wind from pushing fire  through the plant.
5. Slow growth so regular pruning isn't needed to keep the plant open to the air.

 And don't forget to keep your rain gutters clear of debris - a single spark can bring the fire right into your house.

For a list of fire-resistant plants, look through this OSU publication for the Willamette Valley.  Choose plants for your Central Oregon Hardiness Zone, from 3 to 5, your water needs, and personal preferences (I like the bird and butterfly plants best). https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/files/project/supplemental/em9103/em9103print_0.pdf

With a little hard work and some timely rain, you can defend your home from wildfires.