Some things to think about when buying new plants and planning your garden!
The extremes due to climate change are now with us, and for BC in the summer of 2023, it was heat and drought resulting in major wildfires. The FireSmart BC website contains a wealth of information on what organizations and individuals can do in response to this increase in fire risk. It covers everything from government and community planning for wildfire responses, to building structure recommendations, to community programming, and they have some very specific recommendations for gardeners in the Landscape Design sections.
Much of the information on the FireSmart website is about wildland fires and the Wildland/Urban Interface (WUI). The WUI is not just the line where the forest meets the city. The Sooke Fire Department points out that flying embers from a wildfire can travel up to 2km and whether they start a fire depends on what they land on. Even deep in the city, what you have in your yard can help or hinder a fire. Many of the landscaping recommendations for Wildlands and the Wildland /Urban Interface, make good sense for truly urban properties as well: things such as keeping eavestroughs clean, and having nothing easily combustible immediately beside your house like piles of dry leaves, dry bark mulch, or stacks of firewood.
There’s much more on the FireSmart BC website.
- For a general overview download the pdf brochure: FireSmart BCTM Landscaping Tips,
- A short infographic pdf Tips to FireSmart your Home.
- For a more detailed guide to what you can do to make your property and home more fire resistant and resilient visit FireSmart Begins at Home, or, if you prefer, there’s a downloadable pdf.
- Even the plants you choose can make a difference. Fire-resistant plants have, among other things, moist, supple leaves and accumulate minimal dead material, whereas highly flammable plants have aromatic leaves or needles containing resins or oils, and accumulate fine, dry, dead material. FireSmart BC has a detailed guide in their Plant Program.
- The FireSmart Landscaping Hub has all of the above and more.
Local Wildfire Exposure Risk
The CRD has released a series of maps showing the Wildfire Exposure Risks by Electoral area for Juan de Fuca, Saltspring, and the Southern Gulf Islands