The New Normal –Sustainable and

Firewise Landscaping

UC Master Gardener Program of

Sonoma County

Mimi Enright, Program Manager

Sustainable & Firewise Landscaping Framework & Agenda

• Sustainable & firewise landscaping

• Rebuilding soil after fire

• Landscape design for defensible space

• Maintenance & water use for a firewise garden

October, 2017

• Nor Cal: 172 wildfires

• Tubbs Fire: 36,807 acres • Pocket Fire: 17,357 acres • Nuns Fires: 56,556 acres

Total: 110,720 acres

Structures Destroyed: 7,010

Wildfire is Important • Fire adapted species need fire to

become established or survive

• Keeps forests and rangelands open

• Maintains oak woodlands

• Can promote wildlife habitat

• Removes fuels

• Frequent low intensity wildfire, reduces future high intensity wildfire

Photo: Redwood National Park

Sustainable Gardening

Right Plant,

Right Place

Protect & Encourage

Wildlife

Incorporate IPM

Nurture the Soil

Conserve Energy

Protect Water Quality

Conserve Water

Why Sustainable Gardening?

The key goals of sustainable gardening practices are to:

• sustain water availability and quality

• reduce off-site water movement into storm drains,

creeks, rivers & lakes

• reduce energy use

• reduce our green waste to landfill

• prevent soil degradation

• facilitate wildlife, and

• reduce the spread of invasive plant species

Summer Temperature Trends

Rainfall Trends in Sonoma County

Climate & Increased Wildfire

A rapidly warming climate may increase wildfire in California and the western United States in the near term, particularly in montane forests of the region, as greater evapotranspiration combines with highly variable precipitation to produce more frequent and intense droughts with drier vegetation. (Westerling, 2018)

Climate & Increased Wildfire

The presence and characteristics of wildfires are determined by biophysical factors :

• Temperature • Moisture • Wind • Vegetation

and anthropogenic factors: • Ignitions • development at the wildland- urban interface • wildfire suppression activities (Mann et al., 2016).

What is the WUI?

Wildland Urban Interface: The area where urban and suburban development meets undeveloped areas containing natural vegetation.

So why is it important?

Wildfire in the U.S.

0

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

5,000,000

6,000,000

7,000,000

10 year Average Acres Burned

There has been a 72% population increase in “WUI” areas since the 1960s.

There is no guarantee….

• Caerleon Safford, Fire Safe Sonoma:

– There were things we were very worried about that happened.

– There were things we didn’t think would happen that happened.

– Homes with all of the right stuff burned.

– Homes with none of the right stuff survived.

However...

• The information we will be presenting is firmly based in research.

• The principles are valid. • There is no such thing as a fireproof WUI home,

especially in extreme conditions. • It is well worth the time, expense and effort to

follow the principles. • We hope you can move forward with some good

tools and ideas for a fire-adapted home.

Homeowner action is key.

• Lately, there is more fire than there are firefighters.

• YOUR WORK will be the most effective defense for your home.

So What Can We do? During wildfires, home ignition is primarily related to:

• Vulnerabilities on the structure itself

• Fuels 100+ feet surrounding it.

• Weather

• Position on slope Jack Cohen, USFS

• Fuel + Oxygen + Heat = Fire – Which of these 3 can you control?

• Fuel is… anything that will burn –Dry or dead vegetation –Wood siding, roofing, fencing –Trees –Woody shrubs or perennials – Landscape mulch

Know the basics of fire:

Direct Flame

Radiant

Heat

Embers

Start with the House and work out!

AND “Harden”

structures to resist ignition

Two Guiding Principles to prevent wildfire home ignitions:

Decrease surrounding vegetation

Structure Survival Priorities for Wildland Fire :

① Roof / Edge

② Vents

③ Vegetation/Defensible Space and STUFF

④ Windows

⑤ Decks

⑥ Siding

Dr. Steve Quarles, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)

Ember, radiant, and/or

flame impingement

exposures from near-

home vegetation, other

structures, and

wildfire

Exposure from embers

that may have been blown

a mile or more. Embers

can also ignite near-home

vegetation and debris.

Defensible Space

Fire Safe Councils

• Education and outreach

• Planning, such as Community Wildfire Protection Plans

• Community fuels reduction projects

Community Wildfire Protection Plans

• Collaboratively developed

• Identify community assets and risks

• Prioritize methods and strategies to reduce risk

• Identify funding sources and local solutions

Red Flag Warnings

• Issued by National Weather Service when conditions for a fire are at the highest

• 3 criteria are considered:

– Sustained wind speeds

– Relative humidity

– 10 hour fuel moisture

• See our Firewise: Red Flag Warning Days handout for specific hints & tips!

Current Scientific Studies Sonoma County Fires

• Produce Safety After Urban Wildfire in Sonoma County (citizen science)

• Soil Sampling (citizen science)

UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR)

Bay Area Air Quality Management District

Current Scientific Studies Sonoma County Fires

• Chemical exposures of firefighters (UC-Berkeley) • Impact of toxicants on food animals (backyard

chickens) (UC-Davis)

• Ash and air quality (UC-Davis)

Visit… The UC Master Gardener of Sonoma County Firewise Landscaping web page!

http://sonomamg.ucanr.edu/Firewise_Landscaping/

Sonoma Marin Water Saving Partnership • Collaborative of 10 utilities in Sonoma

and Marin Counties

• Formed in 2010 to maximize the cost effectiveness of water conservation in Sonoma and Marin and identify water use efficiency programs

• Regional and coordinated approach

www.savingwaterpartnership.org

Thank you!

• To all of the Master Gardeners who stepped up after the October 2017 fires to create firewise landscaping content for our community.

• Special thanks to Cal Fire, Fire Safe Sonoma, Yana Valachovic, UCCE Humboldt County & Van Butsic, UC Berkeley for sharing slides!