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All plants will burn under the right conditions, regardless of how they are classified (fire resistant, fire safe, firewise, etc). Growing conditions and maintenance can have a greater impact on the flammability of plants than the species itself.
Mulch plays an important role in your landscape. Proper mulch application provides benefits to water retention, soil temperature, weed inhibition, and soil erosion. These qualities can help reduce fuel risk in fire prone areas, but also introduces a new combustible material into your landscape.
Prescribed fire is the use of fire under predetermined conditions to achieve specific objectives. Prescribed fire is incredibly versatile, and can be used under different weather conditions and during different times of year to accomplish a wide range of land management objectives.
Fire is both a physical and ecological process. Physical processes include the heat produced, rate of spread, and direct impacts on other ecosystem components. Ecological processes involve the indirect impacts fire has on soils, vegetation, watersheds, and wildlife.
Follow all verified local emergency instructions for evacuation to help fire crews protect our communities. If a wildfire is approaching, follow these steps to minimize risk to yourself and property: Do not rely solely on emergency services.
Fires require fuel to spread, and any combustible materials, including vegetation, wooden fences, or sheds can serve as fuel. Once ignited, these materials can create a direct fire path toward a house. There can be both horizontal and vertical paths.
The roof protects the house from the elements. Its large surface area, however, makes it extremely vulnerable to embers during a fire. Specifically, debris can accumulate close to roof-wall intersections, edges, skylights, and vents, and ignite during a fire.
In attics and crawl spaces, vents provide air circulation to prevent moisture buildup while keeping rodents and small animals out. However, depending on the mesh size and type of screen, small materials may pass through vents and deposit in enclosures.
The eave overhang protects your home from rain and sun. Depending on design, it also can allow embers to enter through under-eave attic vents. With open-eave construction, gaps between the rafter tails and the blocking can be vulnerable to ember entry.
