Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Plants can protect homes against fire
This weekend marks the 15th anniversary of the devastating fires of 2000. Landscape a defensible space against wildfires by planting up three zones of fire-resistant plants
THIS weekend marks the 15th anniversary of the most serious fire event recorded on the Cape Peninsula. The fires of January 16 to 25, 2000, raged over 8 370ha, and took nine days to put out.
Twenty houses in Simon’s Town and several naval buildings were destroyed, while private and industrial properties were damaged across several suburbs.
The wildfires started with separate fires that broke out in Silvermine and Red Hill. The Silvermine fire took two hours to reach the outskirts of Noordhoek and Hout Bay, before changing direction and heading for Constantia.
The fire that broke out near the Red Hill informal settlement was driven towards homes in Misty Cliffs and Scarborough. A change of wind direction three days later sent the fire towards Simon’s Town.
More than 90 percent of the fireaffected area had been invaded by invasive vegetation. In the years since 2000, researchers have repeatedly warned gardeners that invasive alien vegetation burns hotter and faster than fynbos.
Protecting your suburb against wild fires is important.
FireWise Communities is a concept originally developed in the US (www.firewise.org) that has been adapted and implemented in South Africa (www.firewisesa.org.za).
By firescaping the home ignition zone – the 10m area surrounding the home – homeowners can substantially reduce the risk of their home becoming fuel for the fire.
Firescaping refers to landscaping in ways that will reduce the probability of fire catching and spreading through the area. ● What can you do to make your garden more resistant to fire?
“Creating a ‘survivable space’ means modifying your property’s layout, hard landscaping materials and plantings to make it less likely that your home will catch alight during a wildfire,” says firewise expert Val Charlton. The size of the survivable space is often expressed as a distance, extending outwards from the home and outbuildings. The distance varies.
The minimum survivable space should be at least 10m around the home. However, if the home sits on top of a 25 percent slope, and is surrounded by woodland or dense brush, extend this to 60m.
If this space encroaches into your neighbours’ properties,create a joint survivable space. Each owner should take responsibility for their own area, but work according to a jointly agreed hazard reduction plan.
“Remove all flammable plants within the survivable area, especially invasive plants such as wattle, pine and gum, as well as exotics such as bottlebrushes, melaleucas and conifers as they burn hotter and fiercer than indigenous fynbos,” adds Charlton. Also remove shrubs and perennials beneath larger trees or near large shrubs as these plants provide a “fire ladder” to larger plants.
Carry out regular maintenance checks. Remove dead and decaying wood, fallen and dead branches on your property. Clear fuel material debris from around the base of trees. Prune tree branches that overhang the house or any other flammable structure. Keep branches at least 6m away from a chimney. Prune the lower branches of existing trees to about shoulder height. ● A firescaped property comprises three planting zones:
● The patio or low-resistance area: This is the zone adjacent to the house. It should consist of wellirrigated, fire-resistant, low-growing ground covers and lawn, together with non-flammable hard landscaping such as flagstone walks, brick patios, stone retaining walls, gravel and inorganic mulches. Fireretardant small shrubs can also be planted.
Avoid planting trees, climbers and medium or large shrubs directly against buildings, as these can become part of a “fire ladder”. Also avoid timber decking, wooden pergolas and archways, and organic mulches.
● The garden or mediumresistance zone: Within the garden, create “island beds” 3-5m apart surrounded by lawn, paving or gravel. Choose fire-resistant trees and shrubs, but make sure they don’t touch one another or create a ladder effect that can deliver a fire to your home. Plant low-growing ground covers between the shrubs.
● Perimeter or buffer zone: Plant low-growing, fleshy-leaved ground covers, hedging plants, large aloes and isolated forest trees that are fireresistant and resprout when damaged by fire. Never use flammable fencing materials. Many plants have features that minimise the extent to which they contribute to the spread of veld fires.
Choose from a range of fire-wise indigenous plants, including:
● Ground covers for sunny areas: Aloe brevifolia, arctotis, dymondia, gazania, Hermannia saccifera, Agathosma ovata “Kluitjieskraal” and vygies.
● Ground covers for shady areas: Plectranthus verticillatus, P. neochilus and P. ciliates.
● Bulbs: Tulbaghia, agapanthus and watsonia.
● Small shrubs: Agathosma serpyllacea, Phylica ericoides, felicia, Natal plum ( Carissa macrocarpa), scabiosa, Athanasia dentata.
● Shrubs and trees for island beds: Leucadendron salignum, L. conocarpodendron, Protea nitida, P. cynaroides, Cape thatching reed ( Elegia tectorum), Erica spp., Salvia spp., wild malva ( Pelargonium cucullatum), Felicia echinata, fan aloe, coastal silver oak, wild olive and wild peach.
● Hedge plants: Krantz aloe, tick berry ( Chrysanthemoides monilifera), dune crowberry ( Searsia crenata) and camphor bush ( Tarchonanthus camphoratus).
● Forest trees for perimeter: Wild almond ( Brabejum stellatifolium), rooiels ( Cunonia capensis), tree fuchsia ( Halleria lucida), Cape holly and Cape beech.
● For information on firescaping, go to www.firewisesa.org.za