Videos

• Fire and Flora: Restoring a Healthy Balance? September 16, 2020
• Fire Resilient Landscaping with Native Plants June 2, 2021 (starts at minute 8:40)
  • Fire Resilient Landscaping slides (pdf) June 2, 2021

Articles

• How to Collaborate with Your Landscape: Creating Fire-Resistant Habitat, April 17, 2020
• Rattlesnake Awareness, May, 21, 2020
• Growth and Survival of Two Western Milkweed Species: Effects of Container Volume and Fertilizer Rate, August 2017

Webpages

• Create a Fire Resistant Habitat at Home

Sustainable Fuel Reduction Guidelines

These fuel reduction guidelines were created with residents living in the wild areas of the Santa Cruz Mountains in mind. These guidelines illustrate how to create an extended defensible space beyond the 30 ft zone around a home, while maintaining a robust, native ecosystem which can have the best chance of long term resilience.

• Fuel Reduction Guidelines for Oak/Mixed Evergreen Forest
• Fuel Reduction Guidelines for Redwood Forest
• Fuel Reduction Guidelines for Chaparral

Fire Resistant Native Plant Lists for Landscaping

These native plant lists were created with residents living in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) in the Santa Cruz Mountains in mind. While no plant is completely firesafe (i.e. all plants can burn in the right conditions), these lists of CA native plants are low fire risk compared to many other landscaping plant options. All of these plants can be wonderful additions to a garden and most of these species are locally native to the Santa Cruz Mountains, making them valuable contributors in our local ecosystem.

Support butterflies, bees and other critical pollinators with native plants