It’s hot, water is at a premium and people want to keep their yards green, definitely not dry, to make them less flammable in case of a wildfire. Don’t sweat this. It’s possible to have a healthy lawn and big trees that are a good defense against encroaching flames, landscape experts say.
Irrigated areas that include grass can act as fire buffers along with patios, gravel walkways and driveways. And here’s a bonus: You might not have to mow your lawn as often. Taller green grass shades the roots, retains soil moisture and needs less water.
The priority is to water efficiently and create a lean and green defensible space, clear of debris, to slow, resist or stop the spread of ground fires, said Weston Miller, an urban horticulturist with Oregon State University Extension Service.
Lawns can be up to 30 degrees cooler than concrete or blacktop, according to the Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance. Still, many homeowners opt to replace grass with low-water plants, ground covers or hardscape environments made of concrete, brick, pebbles or sand.
Water conservation feels more urgent than ever as Oregon has come out of an exceptionally dry spring to enter summer with more than 90% of the state considered to be in “severe drought,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
To reduce water use, Amy Whitworth, a Portland garden designer and educator who owns Plan-it Earth Design, recommends an ecology lawn, which is turf-like ground covers that stay green in summer without supplemental water. She likes a mix of micro-clover and broadleaf plants like lawn daisies, yarrow and other drought-tolerant plants that can be mowed.
Green, fire-resistant yards are forefront in many homeowners’ minds after last year’s devastating wildfire season, said Whitworth.
This year’s dry, hot summer has more people searching for ways to reduce the vulnerability of their home and community. Cities and other government agencies want everyone to thin and remove dead and high-risk vegetation.
“It is time to start preparing your defensible space,” said Whitworth, “especially if you live in an area that has a lot of tree canopy, particularly evergreens, or if you live in forested areas on hillsides.”
Design by Amy Whitworth of Plan-it Earth Design in Portland.Plan-It Earth Design
After these hot days, what you learn about your plants’ water needs can help you reassess what’s growing around your home. Native plants, succulents and those that thrive in other semi-Mediterranean regions with a summer dry period are not only low maintenance but less thirsty.
And most are fire-resistant, which means they store water in their leaves, stems and sap, and don’t produce dead and fine materials like needles. Deciduous trees are more fire resistant than evergreens.
No plant is fireproof, but many are more difficult to ignite. OSU Extension’s free downloadable guide, “Fire-resistant Landscape Plants for the Willamette Valley,” lists ground covers, perennials, shrubs and trees that thrive without a lot of additional water while being able to hamper a wildfire.
Fire experts say to avoid plants with gummy sap, and high resin and oil levels that can easily combust. Rosemary, lavender and other plants with leaves that are aromatic when crushed may need little water but they have volatile oils that make them flammable, said Weston.
Fire-smart landscaping doesn’t have to look like the desert. On the low-flammability list are some of Oregon’s signature trees, like dogwood and Japanese maple.
Oaks and other old trees are more resilient to damage from wildfires and if pruned can act as a living wall that reduces fire’s intense heat and blocks airborne embers, according to Oregon’s forestry experts.
Make it easy: Select low-growing, drought-tolerate, fire-resistant plants. Space them apart and away from a home, and water them when they need it.
When designing and installing fire-wise landscaping, the Oregon Department of Forestry also encourages people to consider factors such as the area’s fire history and prevailing winds.
Landscape designer Lisa Meddin, who owns Harmony Design Northwest in Portland, doesn’t put tall plants near a structure, uses a minimum of foundation plantings and clusters plants at the edge of the property instead of having continuous borders.
She integrates native plants into ornamental beds and uses succulent ground covers instead of mulch. A small amount of mulch around the base of plants or trees holds in moisture. But bark or wood chips can be a fire hazard. Instead, use inorganic mulches like gravel or small rocks.
Design by Amy Whitworth of Plan-it Earth Design in Portland.Plan-It Earth Design
Whitworth has more tips to prepare a landscape for fire and drought:
- Before buying drought-tolerant plants in the heat of summer, take a critical look at your existing landscape. Which plants thrive without additional water?
- To test this, slowly reduce the amount of water week by week and see which plants have a dramatic response. Consider eliminating them from your landscape or grouping thirsty plants in a zone that gets a higher rate of water.
- Of the surviving plants, are they touching the house? That can allow a ground fire to spread to the siding or roof. Prune tree limbs and large shrubs, and remove other vegetation that could move fire to treetops.
- Keep gutters clean of needles, dried leaves and twigs to prevent embers igniting dried plant material.
Whitworth also suggests you request a site visit from volunteers with the Backyard Habitat Certification Program. They will give you advice on adding drought-tolerant, native plants in the fall and winter season.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) issued this rendering of defensible space created around a house.California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Roger Pearce lives near the wildland-urban interface, surrounded by natural vegetation, in Ashland and says the city, Lomakatsi Restoration Project and the U.S. Forest Service have been cleaning up their side.
And for the last five years, Pearce and his neighbors have been busy too, removing combustible madrones, pines and junipers from around their homes. Tree branches have been cut off if less than six feet from the ground to prevent a fire from climbing and spreading.
Newer landscapes have deciduous maple, magnolia and lilac trees and a variety of low grasses, shrubs and flowers, but no bark, he said.
A state grant has been an incentive for some in the neighborhood to remove flammable plant materials, but the bigger motivation was the 2020 Almeda Fire, which remains a scorching reminder of the region’s vulnerability.
Nudging still-reluctant homeowners are new views of handsome landscapes designed to deny a blaze fuel.
“It doesn’t look like the desert outside of Las Vegas,” said Pearce, standing on his street near an ochre-stained, concrete retaining wall fronted by a fragrant Mexican Orange evergreen shrub.
Camaraderie also plays a part in this ongoing community effort. Friendly education is delivered at the front door, not lectures. Instead of threats of fines for violations, there are offers to help and invitations to join work parties.
When the giant green-waste bin parked on the street brims with 20 cubic yards of collected plant debris, neighbors known as “elves” stomp down the leaves. “I’m the heaviest elf,” Pearce joked.
More information on fire prevention can be found at the Oregon Department of Forestry YouTube channel and website:
— Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072
jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman
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