Residents in fire-prone areas should take a critical look at the plants around their homes and remove any that can fuel a wildfire, wrote a team that includes UC Master Gardener Jessica Craven Goldstein for VC Reporter.
"The juniper hedge serving as an icon of suburban living might now be regarded as a danger to neighbors," they said.
The article included a novel idea for getting rid of unwanted plants. "I was able to remove several large plants with two-foot root balls by advertising them on Craigslist as 'free.'" emailed a Ventura resident. "I had a lot of responses and several people begging to be the chosen one."
The authors suggested that rural and suburban homeowners review the plant list created by FireSafe Marin for photos and details about plants that should be targeted for removal, and other websites such as Sunset.com that list fire "safer" plants native to the West.
In addition to Craigslist, the story suggested Nextdoor.com for finding new homes for plants that are fire-prone or simply not suitable for their space. It also gave quick tips for successful transplanting, with details on managing irrigation, timing, shock and rootballs.