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As temperatures heat up in Southern California, fire season is taking over. Due to extreme droughts and high temperatures, fire season in SoCal continues to devastate our communities year after year. If you are the owner or manager of an HOA, municipality, or any other commercial property, it is recommended that you always keep the threat of fire in mind when it comes to landscaping and take all steps necessary to stop the spread of wildfires.

Through professional landscape maintenance, you can preserve your property and do your part to keep your employees, customers, and community members safe. The landscaping experts from Stay Green have outlined several landscaping tips for preventing the start and spread of fires on your commercial property. Read on to learn more.

Choose Your Trees & Plants Wisely

If your commercial property is situated in an area prone to wildfires, you need to select plants, shrubs, and trees that will reduce the spread of fire.

Fire-Resistant Trees

Trees that grow taller, are drought-resistant, do not drop many limbs, and produce small, easily broken-down leaves are much more fire-resistant than resin-rich conifers. We recommend selecting deciduous trees, which tend to not produce much dead wood.

Some of the most fire-resistant trees in California include:grassland

  • Coast live oak
  • Cherry
  • Crabapple
  • Hawthorn
  • Honeylocust
  • Maple
  • Quaking aspen

Ground Cover

Ground cover plants are perfect for any landscape. Many commercial properties use ground covers to fill empty expanses of ground. These plants are often used in place of turf in areas that are more difficult to maintain. Ground covers enhance the appearance of any landscape, prevent soil erosion and the growth of weeds, and make landscape maintenance easier.

Fire-Resistant Plants & Shrubs

There are a variety of plants and shrubs that are more equipped to resist burning. While there are no completely fireproof plants, low-growing plants that retain high levels of moisture tend to be more resistant to wildfires.

Examples of fire-resistant plants and shrubs include:

  • Aloe
  • Ice plant
  • Sedum
  • Hedging roses
  • Bush honeysuckle
  • Thyme
  • Agave
  • Iris
  • Succulents
  • Currant
  • California fuchsia
  • Sage
  • California lilac
  • Buckwheat
  • California redbud
  • Lemonade berry
  • Yucca
  • Coneflower
  • Coralbells
  • Roses
  • Fescue
  • Poppy
  • Yarrow

Use Mulch

In SoCal where we experience extremely high temperatures, mulch is an absolute must for every landscape. Mulch is known to block sunlight from making direct contact with the soil, which slows moisture evaporation and contributes to the overall health of your soil and plants. A 2-3 inch layer of mulch also prevents the growth of weeds, keeping your landscape looking impeccable all year long.

While there are a variety of organic and inorganic materials you can use for mulch—including hardwood chips, grass clippings, straw, crushed leaves, pebbles, chunks of rubber, plastic chips, and crushed rocks—you’ll want to keep fire safety in mind. If your property is at risk of wildfire, it is best to choose more fire-resistant mulch materials such as rocks.

Adopt These Landscaping Techniques

When designing and building a commercial landscape, there are various fire safety techniques you should keep in mind.

These include:

  • Keep it low –You never want to build large walls or mountains of burnable materials on your property because this can be a big fire hazard. Instead, it is best to choose compact trees, shrubs, and plants for your commercial landscape.
  • Space things out – Giving each plant plenty of space between itself and the next plant is a great way to slow the spread of wildfire. Plants, shrubs, and trees that are situated too closely to one another will burn quickly in the event of a fire.
  • Create fire-resistant zones – Using stone walls, large rocks, pavement, cement walkways, and other fire-resistant zones is a great way to break up your landscape and slow the spread of wildfires.

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How Stay Green Can Help

At Stay Green, our team members are experts in fire-resistant landscaping, landscape design/build, maintenance, drought defense, brush clearance, and more. When it comes to keeping your commercial landscape safe and preventing the spread of wildfires, turn to our reliable, trusted professionals. We have the high-quality tools, advanced technology, and expertise necessary to properly maintain your landscape and reduce the chances of wildfires on your property. Whether you are the manager or owner of an HOA, commercial property, retail location, or sports and leisure property, we can help you.

Reach out to our team at (800) 741-9150 to schedule service today. We look forward to serving you.