Forest Management in the Interface: Reducing Fire Risk (FOR179/FR249)

Figure 3. The best way to minimize risk of fire damage is to reduce fuels around the structure. Wildfire is one of the most serious and publicized challenges facing interface forest management. Wildfires can change forest vegetation, affect human health, and cause millions of dollars’ worth of damage to homes, businesses, timber, and tourism. This 5-page fact sheet outlines tips for the firewise community development, design of structures, landscaping and fuel reduction. Written by Bruce Hull, Sarah F. Ashton, Rien M. Visser, and Martha C. Monroe, and published by the UF Department of School of Forest Resources and Conservation, August 2012.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr249

Developing Land in Florida with Fire in Mind: Recommendations for Designers, Developers, and Decision Makers (FOR63/FR059)

 Figure 1.  Developments can be designed to help residents live safely with fire in Florida. This home is protected by breaks in the ground-level vegetation between the yard and neighboring undeveloped land.In 1998, fire destroyed or damaged 330 homes and businesses in Florida. Losses totaled more than $800 million. In some places, homes were saved by fire-fighting crews, or where the right decisions were made by builders or designers. With advance planning, architects and developers can do a great deal to reduce wildfire risk for those living and working in Florida. This 5-page fact sheet was written by Martha C. Monroe and Susan Marynowski, and published by the UF Department of School of Forest Resources and Conservation, September 2012.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr059

FOR-179/FR249 Forest Management in the Interface: Reducing Fire Risk

Figure 1. The dead or dying fronds on this cabbage palm increase its overall flammability and create a fire hazard when in close proximity to a house.
FOR-179, a 6-page illustrated fact sheet by Bruce Hull, Sarah F. Ashton, Rien M. Visser, and Martha C. Monroe, describes qualities of firewise communities, structures, and landscapes in proximity with fire-dependent ecosystems, and techniques for fuel reduction. Includes references. Published by the UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation, July 2008.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FR249