August 23, 2007
CONTACT: Dohee Kim, (323) 260-3880, deekim@ucdavis.edu
UC Cooperative Extension's 2008 SAFE Landscapes calendar and guidebook hopes to increase fire safety in LA County
The University of California Cooperative Extension has introduced a calendar and guidebook—the SAFE (Sustainable and Fire-SafE) Landscapes 2008 Calendar and Guidebook. The guidelines assist homeowners create and maintain fire-safe, environmentally-friendly landscapes in what scientists call "the wildland-urban interface" or the area where urban and suburban development meets native, natural vegetated wilderness.
In Southern California, fire is a part of the natural environment. Homes are never completely protected from wildland fire; and if one lives in a high fire hazard severity zone in the wildland-urban interface, it is not a question of if a fire occurs, but when.
Cooperative Extension's SAFE Landscapes calendar and guidebook takes residents through steps to keep properties fire-safe throughout the year. For example, the calendar encourages residents to observe good practices in and around the home, create a good fire response plan for the family, and use fire-resistant building materials and architectural features. Beyond the home, residents should develop a fire-resistant landscape that does not easily transmit fire. In addition, the calendar encourages homeowners to be good neighbors to surrounding wildlands by eliminating invasive plants that fuel wildfires, contribute to soil erosion, clog streams and rivers, increase flooding, displace native vegetation, and reduce wildland diversity.
"Wildland fire is a fact of life. Proper landscape management can help keep property and neighboring habitat safe and healthy," says Dr. Sabrina Drill, UC Cooperative Extension's natural resources advisor.
To learn more about SAFE Landscapes, download the free calendar and guidebook, or get information on Cooperative Extension's upcoming fire-safe workshops, visit http://celosangeles.ucdavis.edu/Natural_Resources/Wildland_Fire.htm.
With support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the SAFE Landscapes project is a collaboration between UC Cooperative Extension in Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, and numerous public, nonprofit, and business organizations.