If you live among ponderosa pines, you can reduce fire risks to your home and property by carrying out restoration-based landscaping and fire-prevention projects around your house. Use these tips as guides toward restoring ecological health and living safely in the Southwests beautiful, but fire-prone, ponderosa pine forests

Edwards, E.R.

Friederici, P.G.

Minard, A.E.

OpenKnowledge@NAU

A Guide for Residents ofSouthwestern PonderosaPine ForestsForestRestorationfor HomeownersHistorically, most southwestern ponderosa pine forests were fairlyopen, with clumps of large pines and many grasses.If you live among ponderosa pines, you canreduce fire risks to your home and propertyby carrying out restoration-basedlandscaping and fire-prevention projectsaround your house. Use these tips as guidestoward restoring ecological health and livingsafely in the Southwest’s beautiful, but fire-prone,ponderosa pine forests.Fire in the forestFire has always been a part of ponderosa pineforests. It provides nutrients to plants andmaintains open forest stands. But fire today isunlike what it once was.Fire has changed because our forests havechanged. Previously, low-intensity fires burnedponderosa pine forests every few years, charringthe ground but leaving large trees standing. Byremoving dead needles and thinning young pines,fire stimulated native wildflowers, shrubs, andgrasses.Humans allowed few of these healthy fires to burnin the twentieth century. As a result, forests grewdense with small, highly flammable pines. Thosethickets can carry ground fires into tree crowns,creating dangerous and fast-moving fires that cankill large trees, destroy buildings, and threatenlives.What’s restoration?Forest restoration thins dense stands and usesprescribed fire to protect big, old trees and lowerthe risk of catastrophic wildfire. By reducingcompetition for water and nutrients, restorationimproves the health of remaining trees, allowingthem to better resist drought and bark-beetleattack. It also promotes growth of grasses,wildflowers, and shrubs. That’s good for wildlife—and for people.How to starve a fireArmies of firefighters can’t prevent fire fromburning southwestern ponderosa pine forests—butwe can help control fire by controlling the fuels itBeyond 100 feet from your house• Remove “ladder fuels” to reduce crown fire danger. Atdistances over 100 feet from the house, you can lower thedanger of crown fire without losing the forest’s naturalqualities. Do so by removing small trees and dead, danglingbranches that could carry fire from the ground into the treecanopy. Be sure to remove thinned materials promptly.• Protect big, old trees. Large pines provide important wildlifehabitat, increase property values, and look great. The sameactions that can protect your house will help to protect oldtrees: rake pine needles and woody debris at least 2 feet awayfrom their trunks, and trim nearby small trees and shrubs thatcould carry fire into their crowns.• Think clumps. You can leave some clumps of dense trees andshrubs standing for visual screening or for wildlife habitat, aslong as they’re separated from your house and from oneanother by defensible open space—and placed so they can’tcarry fire into the crowns of large trees.• Think openings. Openings with grasses and other lowvegetation are important for many wildlife species, and canhelp stop a fire.• Think wildlife habitat. Living trees with dead branches areparticularly important for birds such as woodpeckers andbluebirds; so are scattered patches of denser vegetation.• Clear out piles of downed logs and branches. Remove heavyaccumulations of downed brush and logs. If you or firefightersburn piles to get rid of this material, make sure they are farenough from remaining trees to avoid scorching living crowns.• Consider prescribed burning. Prescribed fires can help reducedangerous fuel accumulations and stimulate grass andwildflower growth. Check with your fire department—someconduct prescribed burns on private land.Landscaping ideasYou can help increase fire resistance—and provide good wildlifehabitat—through smart landscaping. Fire-safe landscaping caninclude varied wildlife habitats and low-water-use plants thatconserve precious water supplies.• Mow grasses and wildflowers low around shrubs, trees, andbuildings. This can interrupt a fire’s fuel ladder.• Plants nearest your home should be widely-spaced and low-growing. Consider low, native ground covers—see page 4 forideas.• Keep plants immediately around your house well-watered andwell-maintained. Regular watering, and removal of dead leavesand branches, can help reduce fire danger.• Don’t plant in large masses that can intensify fire. Use small,irregular clusters of plants. If you plant trees or shrubs forprivacy, place them in “islands” at a distance from buildings orlarge trees.• Use decorative rock, gravel, and stepping stones forlandscaping and paths. They can break up ground fuels.• Use mulch to conserve water and inhibit weed growth. Rockmulch, cinders, or gravel can maintain soil moisture withoutincreasing fire danger.• Use native plants that tolerate local conditions. For a list ofnative, fire-resistant plants, consult your local CooperativeCounty Extension office, botanic garden, planning department,or garden club.needs. The key lies in ensuring that fire travels on the ground,where firefighters can combat it, rather than in tree crowns,where they cannot. You can do this by controlling fuels on yourproperty in three different zones.Around your house• Replace your roof and siding with fire-resistant materials.Embers from even a distant fire can ignite flammable woodshingles. Consider fire-resistant materials when it’s time forconstruction, repair, or replacement. Ask your city or countybuilding department for more information.• Remove flammable materials from around your house. Removepine needles and other flammable materials from your roofand gutters. Ensure that branches don’t hang over the roof orgrow under eaves. Rake fallen leaves and pine needles awayfrom your home’s foundation, creating a 2-foot-wideperimeter down to bare mineral soil. Move firewood andpropane tanks well away from the house. Make sure that woodfences, walkways, and decks don’t allow fire to spread to yourhouse.• Have tools and water ready for fire. Maintain an outdoor watersupply, with a hose and nozzle that can deliver water to allparts of your home and yard. Store fire-fighting tools (rakes,hoes, axes, shovels) in an accessible place.Within 100 feet of your house• Create a defensible zone around buildings. Ensure that firecannot spread within 100 feet of your house or otherbuildings. In this zone, mow dry grasses and weeds; prunebranches of taller trees to a height of between 6 to 10 feet;remove dead limbs, fallen leaves, and other dry fuels; keepplants watered; and maintain open space between tree crowns.• Clear pine needles, leaves, and branches. Dispose of heavyaccumulations of pine needles, fallen leaves, and otherflammable materials.• Allow good access. Maintain a wide, uncluttered driveway withsufficient vertical and horizontal clearance to allow fireengines to enter and to turn around. Post your house numberso that it is visible from the street.Careful prescribedfires can reduce fuelaccumulations andwildfire risk.• Choose fire-resistant plants. Many native southwestern plantsresist fire. Some have succulent leaves that store moisture anddon’t burn readily.• Use deciduous plants for privacy and wildlife habitat. Manydeciduous trees have low resin content, are less flammablethan evergreens, and attract birds and mammals. Native shrubscan also provide visual screening and wildlife food and cover.• Leave extra space on slopes. Fire travels more quickly up slopesthan on flat ground, so make sure tall, woody plants orgroupings on slopes are spaced widely. Well-maintained nativeperennial ground covers can control erosion withoutsignificant fuel increases.• Create rock piles rather than brush piles. Try providing coverfor wildlife with rocks rather than with piled dead brush.• Control invasive species. Such nonnative plants as Dalmatiantoadflax, cheatgrass, and spotted knapweed threaten naturalforest diversity. Some of these species readily carry fire.Prevent their spread by mulching, maintaining native plants,and avoiding unnecessary soil disturbance. If they appear,hand-weeding and selective herbicide use can control them.Living with smokeFire is here to stay in southwestern ponderosa pine forests. Tohelp prevent wildfires from reaching private property, landmanagers often treat surrounding forests with thinning andprescribed burning to reduce fuel loads.Prescribed fire produces smoke—but much less than anuncontrollable, dangerous wildfire does. The choice is simple: ifwe refuse to tolerate occasional light smoke from controlled,prescribed fires, we will probably experience heavy smoke fromunpredictable and dangerous wildfires at some time.Smoke will sometimes be carried long distances by wind, or intodrainages in the cool of evening. Areas far from the fire canbecome smoky. Forest managers work to minimize smokeimpacts, and typically give advance warning of prescribed burns.Contact the agency conducting burns if you have concernsabout smoke; many have plans for warning and temporarilymoving people who are sensitive to smoke.Where to go for help• Ask your local fire department or Cooperative CountyExtension office. Some fire departments will help in markingtrees before thinning; some also assist with thinning andprescribed burning on private land. They can refer you tocontractors who thin trees and clear brush.• Find extension information online (see below). Extensionservices have compiled many publications on rural home firesafety, fire-resistant landscaping, invasive species, and relatedtopics.• Check out Firewise information. See www.firewise.org formore information about home fire protection.Landscape for privacy andwildlife with clumpsseparated by open space.Protect big trees by removingfuels under them.Stack firewood away fromyour house and otherbuildings.Maintain good access.Trim branches awayfrom your roof.Fireproof aroundexterior walls.Remove low-hangingbranches near your house.Keep grassesmowed low nearyour house.Arizona: www.ag.arizona.edu/extension/firewiseColorado: www.colostate.edu/Depts/CSFS/homefire.htmlNew Mexico: www.emnrd.state.nm.us/forestry/20Communities/Handbook_TOC.htmUtah: www.extension.usu.edu/publica/natrpub2.htmExtensioninformationonlineWriter: Anne Minard; Editor: Peter Friederici; Drawing: Emery Edwards; Produced by the Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona UniversityEcological Restoration InstituteNorthern Arizona UniversityP.O. Box 15017Flagstaff, AZ 86011-50172ERI 35AETreesGambel oak (Quercus gambelii)Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)New Mexico locust (Robinia neomexicana)Box elder (Acer negundo)Rocky Mountain maple (Acer glabrum)ShrubsBuffaloberry (Shepherdia spp.)Snowberries (Symphoricarpos spp.)Utah serviceberry (Amelanchier utahensis)Wild roses (Rosa spp.)Three-leaf sumac (Rhus trilobata)Golden currant (Ribes aureum)Fendler’s buckbrush (Ceanothus fendleri)GrassesBlue grama (Bouteloua gracilis)Arizona fescue (Festuca arizonica)Indian ricegrass (Achnatherumhymenoides)Western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii)Mountain muhly (Muhlenbergia montana)Muttongrass (Poa fendleriana)Prairie junegrass (Koeleria macrantha)Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)WildflowersCommon yarrow (Achillea millefolium)Silvery lupine (Lupinus argenteus)Blue flax (Linum perenne)Penstemons or beardtongues(Penstemon spp.)Coneflowers (Echinacea, Ratibida, andRudbeckia spp.)Ground CoversCreeping barberry (Mahonia repens)Cinquefoil (Potentilla spp.)Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)Prairie smoke (Geum triflorum)Alum root (Heuchera spp.)Pussytoes (Antennaria spp.)Native Plants for Landscaping• Work with your homeowners’ association. Planning forsubdivision fire protection can help protect all the homeswithin it.• Learn how to landscape for wildlife. For tips, seewww.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat.• Plant natives. See Native Plants for High-Elevation Gardens(Fulcrum Press, 2003) or Beyond the Ponderosa: SuccessfulLandscape Trees for Higher Elevations in the Southwest(Flagstaff Community Tree Board, 1998) for landscaping ideas;check with a botanic garden or native plant society; or seewww.hort.usu.edu/natives/nurseries/Alpha.html for a list ofnative plant nurseries in your area.• Get to know your local weeds. Visit www.weedcenter.org orwww.usgs.nau.edu/SWEPIC for guides to identification andcontrol of noxious plants.• Contact your state forest service. State foresters can provideadvice, and sometimes can arrange cost-sharing plans forprivate landowners interested in thinning forest land throughthe National Fire Plan; see www.stateforesters.org for adirectory.• Contact the Ecological Restoration Institute for informationabout forest ecology and restoration. Visit our website atwww.eri.nau.edu, or call us at 928-523-7182.NAU Creative Communications A49868/20M/12-02 • NAU is an Equal Employment/Affirmative Action Institution    Printed on recycled stock using renewable ink.

Forest restoration for homeowners: A guide for residents of southwestern ponderosa pine forests

http://openknowledge.nau.edu/2583/2/Minard_A_etal_2002_ForestRestorationForHomeownersA%281%29.pdf

Forest restoration for homeowners: A guide for residents of southwestern ponderosa pine forests

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