FIRE-RESISTANT LANDSCAPING AND DEFENSES

By Darin Brenner

We may not always think of fire-resistant landscapes as something to design as creative endeavors, fulfilling quality aesthetic results whilst gaining maximum fire protection within a property and its limitations. After people have seen fire threaten or destroy properties and lives or heard the stories, they typically do not consider the idea of a fire-resistant landscape as a design space or delve deeply into its wide-ranging possibilities. People tend to default to the well-known “defensible spaces” protocols as the main focused solution.

Do fire-resistant landscapes only consider the typical “defensible spaces” rules and layouts? Certainly not. There is much creativity and connectivity to nature and to building structure architecture that is attainable and can be tailored to suit differing interests and tastes, budget limitations, climate conditions, and property geography. A smart fire-resistant landscape should incorporate the rules of defensible spaces and incorporate a well-thought-out and executed plan that can enhance a property, allow creativity and unique ideas, and benefit the local ecology while caring about obvious fire hazards such as trees, underbrush and other forest litter that serves as fire fuel sources.

Fire-resistant landscapes certainly occur in nature both in hardscape form as well as soft, which can be partially or fully artificially designed and constructed to serve as the protectors and mitigators of fire-risk levels to all affected, including homes, buildings, roads, utilities, recreational facilities and the local native environment. Fire-resistant landscapes in nature can be identified, studied, utilized, and taken advantage of emulating existing natural features in our environment. They can help with local environments immediately affected due to historical man-made changes in the environment or simply natural, disadvantaged sites. Whether involved with new homes, commercial spaces, or public areas within mountainous forested or brushland habitats, they can be designed and constructed to serve their purposes in consideration of their potential aesthetic appeal. While not all fire-resistant landscapes have to be fully native or of local materials and plants, they should at least be evaluated as being neutral or lessening the fire risks comparatively and fit well into the local climate and geography.

Current and recent trends in home and building design within many mountain communities often consider how these types of man-made structures tie in better and “blend” into the natural surrounding scenery so as not to be detractive. Why not gain the maximum benefits of fire resistance and all the possibilities of beautification, personal purpose and uniqueness? Fire-resistant landscapes can be designed and built by the self-taught or through familiar landscape contractors and individuals as well as the gamut of specialized professionals, including designers, architects, and professional custom landscape contractors.

Those hoping for environmentally friendly outcomes will find the well-planned, fire-resistant landscape serves as a fully intended, purposeful, meaningful, and often beautiful long-term way of reducing fire risk – which would otherwise be magnified if only minimum steps and considerations were taken – with an extra value of lower maintenance and care costs when executed properly.

Thanks to Darin Brenner of AQUA~ENVIRONS Construction for writing this article. You can contact Darin at 916.305.1373; darin@aquaenvirons.com or aquaenvirons.com.