Firewise Landscaping

Like Waterwise landscaping, firewise landscaping is a way of incorporating best practices into your garden. There is a lot of material written and available online on best practices. Obviously, we all cannot start with a clean slate, but we can start with some basics.

We have prepared four simple one-page sheets that bring together information from various sources. The intent of these sheets is to give you some simple basic things you should be incorporating into your garden.

Downloadable "How to" Articles: These articles offer checklists and how-to’s. In addition they include valuable links to more detailed information if you are interested in more information. For your convenience and ease-of-use, they are limited to 2 pages, that can be printed on one piece of paper.

Defensible Space: What is it, what do you plant where?
Red Flag Warning Days: Who declares the warning, what should you do when a warning is issued, how do you prepare before.
Watering and Mulching: What are the best mulches, how do you mulch in various areas around your property?
Yard Maintenance: How to add into your routine the best practices for fire prevention.

Ongoing Articles on Firewise Issues: On an ongoing basis we will be posting articles on issues that are fire related that provide general information with more specific and detailed links.

Fire Ecology of California: Understanding fires in California.
Firewise Home Garden Design: Advice on how to make the property surrounding your house as fire resistant as possible.
Trees in the Wildland Urban Interface: How trees affect fire risk, suggestions on dealing with existing trees, and considerations on planting new trees.
Resilient Garden Design: This describes the Water Agency collaborative effort that has created a series of landscape templates for homeowner use.
Fire Resistant Plants?: Covers the main characteristics of plants that provide the best fire resistance and why a firewise garden is about more than plant choice.

Additional Firewise Resources:

The Combustability of Landscape Mulches
10 Ways To Protect Your Home From Wildfires
What to do if a Wildfire is Approaching
Home Survival in Wildfire-Prone Areas: Building Materials and Design Considerations

Workshops and Seminars: Look for our ongoing library and community wide workshops

file295403*The following presentations and videos are from our Fall 2018 firewise landscaping public workshop series:

Consult the calendar for events and workshops.