Fires and Creating A Defensible Space
Tierrasanta has been spared this time from the fires. However, with all the news about what you can do to prevent the fire in your neighborhood may be we all should listen. The theme repeated over and over again is about landscaping and trees planted too close to your home.
May be our HOA needs to consider removing all eucalyptus trees in our neighborhood or at least the trees planted too close to the homes. Eucalyptus oil is highly flammable (trees have been known to explode) and bush fires can travel easily through the oil-rich air of the tree crowns. The dead bark and fallen branches are also flammable. Eucalypts are well adapted for periodic fires, in fact most species are dependent on them for spread and regeneration. They do this via lignotubers, epicormic buds under the bark and from fire-germinated seeds sprouting in the ashes.
Property owners and our HOA should Create A Defensible Space between unmaintained canyon vegetation and any structures. Creating this Fire Break is critical to safeguarding structures from wildfires.
Clearing, Thinning and Pruning: Critical Steps for Fire Safety
Trees and large shrubs often create a canopy that allows fire to quickly spread and threaten nearby structures. A key purpose of clearing, thinning, and pruning is to reduce the potential for fire spread.
Clearing or thinning is the cutting down of plants to reduce flammable material and increase the distance between groups of plants so flames are less able to travel. Plants may be cut to a height of six inches. Roots systems should not be disturbed.
Pruning is the removal of branches and dead or dying wood to reduce the amount of flammable material. Trees and large shrubs must be pruned so 40% of the flammable material is removed. The lowest branches should be three times higher than the height of the vegetation below, or six feet, whichever is higher. Dead and excessive twiggy growth must also be trimmed and removed.
We do have a great deal of bushes that are overgrown and have not been trimmed or pruned in years. We need to make sure we evaluate the greenbelts in our neighborhood and what we can do with the canyons that come up to the end of our streets. Let's work together to safe guard our neighborhood.
Thank you!
May be our HOA needs to consider removing all eucalyptus trees in our neighborhood or at least the trees planted too close to the homes. Eucalyptus oil is highly flammable (trees have been known to explode) and bush fires can travel easily through the oil-rich air of the tree crowns. The dead bark and fallen branches are also flammable. Eucalypts are well adapted for periodic fires, in fact most species are dependent on them for spread and regeneration. They do this via lignotubers, epicormic buds under the bark and from fire-germinated seeds sprouting in the ashes.
Property owners and our HOA should Create A Defensible Space between unmaintained canyon vegetation and any structures. Creating this Fire Break is critical to safeguarding structures from wildfires.
Clearing, Thinning and Pruning: Critical Steps for Fire Safety
Trees and large shrubs often create a canopy that allows fire to quickly spread and threaten nearby structures. A key purpose of clearing, thinning, and pruning is to reduce the potential for fire spread.
Clearing or thinning is the cutting down of plants to reduce flammable material and increase the distance between groups of plants so flames are less able to travel. Plants may be cut to a height of six inches. Roots systems should not be disturbed.
Pruning is the removal of branches and dead or dying wood to reduce the amount of flammable material. Trees and large shrubs must be pruned so 40% of the flammable material is removed. The lowest branches should be three times higher than the height of the vegetation below, or six feet, whichever is higher. Dead and excessive twiggy growth must also be trimmed and removed.
We do have a great deal of bushes that are overgrown and have not been trimmed or pruned in years. We need to make sure we evaluate the greenbelts in our neighborhood and what we can do with the canyons that come up to the end of our streets. Let's work together to safe guard our neighborhood.
Thank you!
posted by Happy Neighbor at
9:07 AM
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