Firewise Landscaping Research Paper

Words: 1049
Pages: 5

We all love our trees in Central Texas. It’s one of the reasons we live here. But as more and more people move to the edges of urban areas, we become part of the wildland/urban interface. Living in forested areas is beautiful and peaceful but it comes with the risk of wildfire affecting our life. There have been several serious wildfires in our area in recent years, in fact, Texas is one of the three states with the most homes potentially at risk from forest fires. Consequently, those of us who live in wooded areas can’t help but feel a little nervous when the forests are dry, the humidity is low, and strong winds blow in from the south. What can we do to help protect our homes and communities? It is possible to enjoying the benefits of living in a forested area while protecting our homes, attracting birds and wildlife and enjoying spring wildflowers. …show more content…
We can also offer suggestions on selecting less flammable trees and shrubs and picking the best location to reduce fire danger. What is Firewise Landscaping? Our goal is to create a buffer under normal situations will help protect structures and can be visualized as a series of zones. The area around a structure is known as the Home Ignition Zone. It extends a minimum of 100 feet on each side or as much as 200 feet in areas where the risk of wildfires is high.

Within this area there are three zones as illustrated in this