Zonta USA Advocacy
Climate Zontians,
We had technical difficulty and were unable to record our last meeting on Wildfire Risk. The following is a brief synopsis:
How Do Homes Burn in a Wildfire?
Contrary to popular belief, most homes do not burn down from direct contact with wildfire flames or radiant heat. Misconceptions about wildfires are too often perpetuated in media as massive walls of flame that scorch everything in their path. In fact, most structures lost in a wildfire are destroyed by wildfire embers. These embers are usually small burning pieces of debris that are spit away from the wildfire. Embers land on your property, pile up, smolder, and then ignite. These small ignitions on roofs, decks, porches, and other areas of your property are often the main cause of a home being lost to wildfire.
3 critical steps to defensible space against wildfire
- Use fire-resistant building materials.
- Reduce fuels such as weedy vegetation and clean debris from roofs, decks and gutters.
- Use fire-resistant plants in the landscape.
These actions DO NOT ensure that your home or community will survive a wildfire. But they can improve the odds.
Fire-resistant does not mean fireproof!
Even fire-resistant plants will burn if not well maintained. Be sure to keep all of your landscape plants healthy with appropriate watering, proper pruning, etc. Most healthy deciduous shrubs and trees are fire-resistant. But both native and ornamental plants can be highly flammable. Spreading or upright juniper is one highly flammable shrub often planted in home landscapes. Avoid landscaping with highly flammable plants directly around your home.
Fire Resistant vs. Highly Flammable in terms of avoiding wildfire
Fire-resistant
- Branching patterns are open and loose.
- Plants have little dead wood and tend not to accumulate dry, dead material.
- Sap is waterlike and does not have a strong odor.
- Sap or resin are minimal.
- Leaves are wide, flat, moist and supple.
Highly flammable
- Plants contain fine, dry or dead material, such as twigs, needles and leaves.
- Leaves, twigs and stems contain volatile waxes, terpenes or oils.
- Leaves are aromatic. (They have a strong odor when crushed.)
- Sap is gummy, resinous and has a strong odor.
- Bark may be loose or papery.
Your Home Can Survive a Wildfire (Youtube video)
Fire-resistant plants for home landscapes | OSU Extension Service (Download the free PDF!)
Thank you,
Marianne
Marianne Tompkins is part of Zonta District 8 Leadership
