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NO! Well maintained fruit trees pose only a minimal fire threat. Prune all trees regularly by removing dead limbs and thinning the canopy. Tall, Mature trees should be limbed up 10 feet from the ground. It is best not to have any other combustible vegetation beneath trees, but if you do, limb the trees to 10' above the top of surrounding vegetation.
Conifer trees or other more combustible varieties should be limbed at LEAST 10' from the ground (the higher the better) , should not have any vegetation below them, and should be spaced at least 10' apart. Remove any limbs that overhang your roof, and cut back limbs 10' from your chimney. | | |
No. A well planned and maintained landscape can be fire resistant. By limbing trees, removing dead or overgrown vegetation, and spacing plants appropriately, you can aceive a fire safe landscape without "clearcutting." | | |
Here's a list of Fire Resistant, California Native plants:
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California Redbud
An interesting plant all year long, with magenta flowers on leafless stems in summer, followed by crimson seedpods and heart-shaped blue-green leaves. Deciduous, with yellow or red fall foliage falling away in winter to reveal smooth reddish brown trunks. Long lived, very drought tolerant, and flowers more profusely as it matures. |
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Monkeyflower (Mimulus)
TBe sure to check out the drought-tolerant varieties. |
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Ceanothus ‘Concha’
This California lilac is a large shrub with a dense mass of dark green, 1-inch leaves, with dark blue clusters of flowers appearing in spring. Requires good drainage; can tolerate summer water. Grows to six feet. |
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Sage (Salvia)
Nothing evokes California quite like a sage-scented hillside. Beloved by hummingbirds and firefighters alike, the autumn sage pictured here is beautiful and fire-resistant |
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Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
It appears on fire-resistant lists for California Native Plant Society, Western MWD (zone 3). Yarrow also can be used as a groundcover if mowed. |
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French Lavender (Lavandula dentata)
Although not a true California native, this attractive drought-tolerant plant is beautiful and fire resistant.. |
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Coast Live Oak
Handsome shade tree. Round-headed with dense foliage, grows 20-70 feet tall. Smooth, dark grey bark, with leathery dark green leaves. Native to coastal California. |
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California Sycamore
Sycamores have delighted generations of Californians, and are fire resistant. |
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Toyon (Hetereomeles arbutifolia)
A classic California native, it has white flowers in the summer and berries in the winter. |
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California Fuchsia (Epilobium canum/californica)
This sprawling plant is one of the few fire-resistant native perennials. |
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Beard Tongue (Penstemon palmeri)
This particular variety is native to the Southland, but the entire species has been embraced by native plant enthusiasts and firefighters alike. |
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Wild Strawberry (Fragaria chilolensis)
Looking for a low-growing plant that you can plant near to your home? This species is safe for use in any zone in your yard. | | | | | | |
We certainly respect private property rights - but California Law requires that "A person that owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains a building or structure in, upon, or adjoining any mountainous area, forest-covered lands, brush-covered lands, grass-covered lands, or any land that is covered with flammable material, shall at all times," maintain Defensible Space.
The job of enforcing his law lies with your local fire authority. Furthermore, the law provides for enforcement by providing the following fines and/or levies:
4291.1. (a) Notwithstanding Section 4021, a violation of Section 4291 is an infraction punishable by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100), nor more than five hundred dollars ($500).
If a person is convicted of a second violation of Section 4291 within five years, that person shall be punished by a fine of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250), nor more than five hundred dollars ($500).
If a person is convicted of a third violation of Section
4291 within five years, that person is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500).
If a person is convicted of a third violation of Section 4291 within five years, the department may perform or contract for the performance of work necessary to comply with Section 4291 and may bill the person convicted for the costs incurred, in which case the person convicted, upon payment of those costs, shall not be required to pay the fine. If a person convicted of a violation of Section 4291 is granted probation, the court shall impose as a term or condition of probation, in addition to any other term or condition of probation, that the person pay at least the minimum fine prescribed in this section.
(b) If a person convicted of a violation of Section 4291 produces in court verification prior to imposition of a fine by the court, that the condition resulting in the citation no longer exists, the court may reduce the fine imposed for the violation of Section 4291 to fifty dollars ($50).
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We always encourage neighbors to work together to help reduce the wildfire hazard at the neighborhood level. Talk to your neighbor, and try to agree on a mutual or shared plan to thin or remove the hazardous vegetation. If you can not reach your neighbor, or if the property is vacant, contact your nearest fire station or the Marin County Fire Department Fire Prevention Bureau at (415) 499-6566. | | |
The law governing Defensible Space and wilfire prevention is section 4290 and 4291 or the California Public Resources Code. You can read the law here... | | |
Defensible space refers to that area between a house and an oncoming wildfire where the vegetation has been modified to reduce the wildfire threat and which provides an opportunity for fire fighters to effectively defend the house. Oftentimes, a defensible space is simply a homeowner's backyard that has been cleared of combustible vegetation and materials. | | |
If you live in Marin, and your home is on a slope, hillside or ridgetop, the answer is probably "yes." You can view the interactive Urban Wildland Interface map of Marin online at Marin County Urban-Wildland Interface Zone Interactive Map. This is a good, but not necessarily definitive overview of threatened homes in Marin.
If there is any dry grass or other dry, dead, or overgrown vegetation within 30 fet of your home, or if you have a combustible roof or siding (wood shake is the best example) then your home is at risk.
Local maps are available by clicking on these links:
| | | No. All native plants in California are adapted to wildfire, and many of them require occasional wildfires to thrive. Some native plants are more fire resistant than others, but the fact that they are "native" does not imply that they are fire resistant.
There are many reasons to encourage the use of native plants in landscaping, and native plants can be used in an effective, fire-safe landscape plan. They must be chosen carefully, and be well maintained and spaced. Minimiize the use of ANY combustible vegetation within 30' of your home, and maintain all vegetation within 100' of structures. | | | Years of experience by fire agencies and others have led to a statutory strategy for reducing the chance of building loss or damage. It is a two-pronged approach: 1) defensible space – reduce flammable material around homes to keep direct flames and heat away from the side of the building. (The law already requires property owners to create 100 feet of defensible space around buildings); 2) exterior wildfire exposure protection - construct buildings so that they have less chance of catching fire from burning embers. We have learned that we must make changes to the surrounding property and to the buildings themselves. | | | State responsibility area is a legal term defining the area where the State has financial responsibility for wildland fire protection. Incorporated cities and federal ownership are not included. The prevention and suppression of fires in all areas that are not state responsibility areas are primarily the responsibility of local or federal agencies. There are more than 31 million acres in state responsibility area with an estimated 1.7 million people and 750,000 existing homes. | | | Wildland fire protection in California is the responsibility of either the State, local government, or the federal government. Local responsibility areas include incorporated cities, cultivated agriculture lands, and portions of the desert. Local responsibility area fire protection is typically provided by city fire departments, fire protection districts, counties, and by CAL FIRE under contract to local government. | | |
By Fire Marshal Scott Alber and Forester Kent Julin
Mr. Caldararo confuses wildfire and its relation to fires in the wildland-urban interface with wildfire issues as they relate to forest management practices. It is confusing and counterproductive to combine all these valid problems with the problem of interface fire home loss. They should be dealt with separately.
Study after study has shown that the solution to disastrous home loss during wildfires is to prevent buildings from igniting while the wildfire burns surrounding vegetation. This can be accomplished by focusing on two hazard mitigation measures:
- Reduce the wildfire's intensity and its exposure time to the structure by vegetation management immediately surrounding the structure.
- Reduce the ignitability of the structure, particularly from wind-blown embers and small flames.
The wildland-urban interface fire home-loss problem can be dealt with independently from other problems associated with wildfires. The historic role of forest fire suppression, past and present forest management practices and prescribed burning are usually not directly related to the extent of building destruction on interface fires. This was clearly demonstrated by the East Bay hills conflagrations (the 1923 Berkeley fire, the 1970 Oakland Hills fire, 1980 Wildcat Canyon Fire in Berkeley and the 1991 Oakland Hills fire), where small vegetation fires quickly spread to so many readily ignitable homes that the fire suppression capabilities of the local fire departments were temporarily overwhelmed.
As mentioned above, what is always directly related to house survival during interface fires is the ignitability of the building and/or the vegetation management immediately surrounding the home. Despite Mr. Caldararo's opinion, no scientifically based study has ever been published concluding or suggesting that burning vegetation (or related "fire intensity") around a home is not related to interface fire building survival.
The Black Tiger Fire Report cited in his column is an excellent study. The report states (in part): "Homes in the wildlands that are at special risk usually share several dangerous traits." The first of these dangerous traits was "Combustible vegetation - an approaching fire will ignite surrounding vegetation in a step-by-step attack on a home. A safety zone of low fuel density all around the home offers important protection."
We can reduce a wildfire's intensity and its exposure time to homes by creating landscapes with healthy well-spaced fire-resistant plants and nonflammable physical barriers such as paths and rock walls. We can also reduce the ignitability of homes, particularly from wind-blown embers and small flames, by using fire-resistant siding with screened openings and Class A roofing (watch "Marin on Fire," available at www.firesafemarin.org).
Firefighters who battle urban wildfires, such as the Angora Fire this summer in South Lake Tahoe, are often forced to choose which houses can be safely and effectively defended from fire. By reducing the amount of fuel on your property, you increase the likelihood that a fire engine could be safely parked in your driveway and that firefighters could work there to protect your home.
No amount of preparation will guarantee survival of a home in a wildfire. Some firestorms, such as the 2003 Cedar Fire in San Diego County, are so intense that many fire prevention measures become ineffective. But for the vast majority of our fires, landscaping with fire resistive plants and materials increases the chance your house will survive the next wildfire in Marin.
Scott Alber is a Battalion Chief and Fire Marshal for Marin County Fire Department. Kent Julin is the Forester for Marin County Fire Department.
TO LEARN MORE
Information on creating defensible space around homes and planting fire-resistant landscaping is available at www.firesafemarin.org. The Web site also contains information on many fire-related topics, including how to make children more fire smart. Call 446-4420. | | | A "Red Flag Warning" means that the National Weather Service has determined that critical Fire Weather Conditions are either occuring now, or will occur shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures combine to create explosive fire growth potential in the affected areas.
During "Red Flag Warnings" it is much more difficult for frefighters to control small fires, and more likely that fires will grow so rapidly that they "out-strip" the ability of local firefighting resources to control a fire.
In Marin, fire-departments add additional staffing and engines during Red Flag Warnings, but we recognize from history that local firefighting resources might not be enough, and that conditions may even be such that no fire suppression tactics can safely control the fire.
The Oakland Hills "Tunnel Fire" in October 2001, and Inverness "Vision Fire" in October 2005 both occurred during Red Flag Warning weather conditions. The Oaklan fire burned nearly 4000 homes in 8 hours and killed 25 people. The Vision Fire burned 45 homes in 5 hours, and continued to burn 12,000 acres orver 3 days, right here in Marin.
On July 2, 1929, during what would constitute "Red Flag" conditions today, "the Great Mill Valley Fire" burned more than 100 homes and had it not been for a change in weather, downtown Mill Valley would have been destroyed. More than 1000 homes stand in the footprint of this fire today, and fuel conditions (overgrown brush, trees and landscaping) today are FAR worse than they were in 1929.
Because of the fuel condition in Marin, a major wildfire can occur even during periods of "moderate" fire weather during the summer drough season, even when no "Red Flag Warning" is issued. Marin Residents must be prepared for wildfire every day during fire season - usually late May until early November. | | | Many people do not view the plants growing on their property as a threat. But in terms of wildfire, what is growing adjacent to their homes can have considerable influence upon the survivability of their houses. All vegetation, including naturally occurring native plants and ornamental plants in the residential landscape, is potential wildfire fuel. If the vegetation is properly modified and maintained, a wildfire can be slowed down, the length of flames shortened, and the amount of heat reduced, all of which contribute to a house surviving a wildfire. | | | Some individuals incorrectly assume that a fire truck will be parked in their driveway and fire fighters will be actively defending their homes if a wildfire approaches. During a major wildfire, it is unlikely that there will be fire fighting resources available to defend every home. Even with adequate resources, some wildfires may be so intense that there may be little that fire fighters can do to prevent a house from burning. The key is to reduce fire intensity as a wildfire nears the house. This can be accomplished by reducing the amount of flammable vegetation surrounding a home. | | | No. While bare ground would certainly provide an effective defensible space, it is not necessary and looks bad. Bare ground may also cause soil to erode. Many homes have yards that are both effective defensible spaces and attractive landscapes with little or no bare ground. | | | No. For the most part, creating a defensible space employs routine gardening and landscape maintenance practices such as pruning, mowing, weeding, plant removal, appropriate plant selection, and irrigation. The necessary equipment consists of common tools like a chain saw, pruning saw, pruning shears, loppers, weedeater, shovel, and a rake. A chipper, compost bin, or a large rented trash dumpster may be useful in disposing unwanted plant material. Annual maintenance will likely be required to retain an effective defensible space.
| | | Californai llaw requires Defensible Space of 100', or to the property line, whichever is nearer. This is the MINIMUM clearance, and in some cases even more Defensible Space may be necessary to protect a home.
Defensible space size is the distance from the house in which vegetation is managed to reduce the wildfire threat. The necessary distance for an effective defensible is not the same for everyone, but varies by slope and type of native vegetation growing near the house. Contact your local fire marshal for suggested defensible space distances specific to your area. If your recommended distance exceeds your property boundaries, contact the adjacent property owner and try to work cooperatively on creating a defensible space. The effectiveness of defensible space increases when multiple property owners work together. |
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