The incidence and intensity of unintended wildfires in Utah is increasing as a result of increasing temperatures, decreasing precipitation and snow, and plant invasion. Although prescribed fires can often have positive ecological effects [1], catastrophic wildfires tend to have devastating effects on native plants and animals and water resources, as well as human life and property. Choosing species with low resin content, high moisture content (e.g. cacti, succulents, and deciduous shrubs), and a higher likelihood to drop leaves (e.g. deciduous shrubs and trees) can provide fire resistance to vulnerable systems [2].
Resources
- Fire Effects Information System (FEIS)
- Fire recovery guide | California Native Plant Society
- Firewise Landscaping for Utah
- Firewise plants for Utah landscapes
- Fire-resistant landscaping
- Comparing the ignitability of mulch materials
- Firewise landscaping and zoning
- Be prepared for wildfire | Summit County
- Vegetation recovery in a desert landscape after wildfires: influences of community type, time since fire and contingency effects
- Prescibed burning effects in the La Sal Mountains
- N. Utah Bonneville Shoreline Trail fire-resistant vegetation plan
- Combining active restoration and targeting grazing to establish native plants and reduce fuel loads in invaded ecosystems
References
[1] Ffolliott PF, Guertin DP. Prescribed fire in Arizona ponderosa pine forests: A 24-year case study. Poster paper presented at the conference: Effects of Fire in Management of Southwestern Natural Resources; 1988 November 14-17.
[2] Dubay CT. Restoration for homeowners: A guide to fire safety and native landscaping in southwestern ponderosa pine forests. Flagstaff (AZ): Northern Arizona University Ecological Restoration Institute; 2017.