Oregon's Oaks - video

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Plants to help your property resist wildfire

FROM:  http://portlandtribune.com/sl/270320-145442-plants-to-help-your-property-resist-wildfire-

As population grows in urban centers like Portland and Eugene, more homes are being built in the "wildland urban interface" areas of our state — areas near or among lands prone to wildland fires. Oregon’s last two fire seasons have been severe, and this year's fire season is following suit. With the continuing drought and hot weather it’s a good time to take stock of your property and put a plan together for fall landscaping ideas.

If you’re an avid gardener residing in the urban interface, there are many fire-resistant plants available to help your home become more fire-resistant, as well as help native birds and other wildlife with shelter and food. Since most of these plants require less frequent watering and are low-maintenance, even non-urban-interface residents might like to consider adding some of them to yards and gardens.

“Fire-resistant" does not mean "fireproof." It does mean that these plants have little dead wood and don’t tend to accumulate dry materials that are flammable. The leaves of these plants are usually moist and supple, with water-like sap.

What to avoid: plants that contain dry needles, twigs and leaves, or have gummy, resinous sap or loose or papery bark. One highly flammable shrub to avoid in your home landscape, for example, is spreading or upright juniper. It accumulates dead needles and has volatile oils in its foliage.

What are some good choices?

One species you might like to consider is manzanita (Arctostaphylos), including a native that's also fire-resistant, "kinnikinnick." Kinnikinnick is a charming ground cover that features small white or pink flowers in the spring, followed by red berries. Once established, it will spread and create year-round interest in the landscape while requiring little maintenance.

Oregon boxwood (Paxistime myrsinites) is another good choice. This attractive evergreen shrub features an alluring, tiny red flower display and can survive our hot summers with little or no water. Be sure to give Oregon boxwood enough water during the first one to two years to establish it.

Look for oceanspray, with its graceful growth habit and pendulous, creamy white flowers. Flowers have a faint, sweet sugary scent and the plant requires little watering.

Red flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) and Nootka rose are other good selections. Red flowering currant is an attractive drought-tolerant woody perennial and an early springtime draw for hummingbirds.

Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) is an upright, arching shrub featuring small pink flowers in the summer followed by white, rounded fruits that persist through the winter and attract birds. Snowberry does well in full sun or part shade. Like red flowering currant, it grows quickly and is low-maintenance.

No stranger to landscapers, Pacific rhododendron is ever-popular for its dark-green leaves and lovely pink and white flower clusters. Prefers acidic soils and part shade, and is deer-resistant.

Plants such as purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), giant or Eastern columbine, yarrow and lupine are not only fire-resistant but will attract butterflies and pollinators to your yard or landscape as well.

 Tree choices

Looking for some good fire-resistant tree choices? If your yard or garden has ample room for a new tree to grow to maturity — both above, and below ground — try red alder or sweetgum. Consider a dogwood for small, partly-shaded sites.

Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pine, an attractive tree with long needles and lovely cones, develops thick bark when mature, which protects it from surface fire and makes it more resistant than other tree species, like Douglas fir. It’s moderately fire-resistant, is drought-resistant and grows in full sun. It can reach more than 150 feet in height so plant where it has ample room to grow.

Oregon White Oak: Besides the welcome shade they provide during hot summer months, Oregon white oaks provide favorable habitat for important wildlife types including nuthatches, pileated woodpeckers and western grey squirrel. They should only be planted in wide open areas where overhead wires or conflicts with homes or structures are unlikely. Provide full sun, good drainage and plenty of room for these eventual "giants" of the landscape.

A reminder: for the first three years following planting, all newly planted trees require regular watering.

  

Lawns and bark mulch

In Oregon, bark mulch is popular in urban landscapes. Unfortunately, embers from a wildfire or cigarettes can ignite dry bark mulch, so try to use mulch in your yard or garden well away from your home.

If your property already has a grassy area, remember that a well-maintained lawn can be included in a fire-resistant landscape. If drought and Oregon’s dry summers regularly turn your lawn to brown, it might be time to consider removing some or all of your lawn area and replacing it with fire-resistant trees and plants.

Be sure to inquire at your local reputable neighborhood nursery or look online to read more about good fire-resistant plant choices.

For more information:www.firefree.org/images/uploads/FIR_FireResPlants_07.pdf

Cynthia Orlando has a degree in forest management and is a certified arborist with the Oregon Department of Forestry