Kalamazoo Gazette (Michigan)
Copyright 2007 Kalamazoo Gazette
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LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University Extension has released a new bulletin, available through county Extension offices or directly from MSU, that provides a comprehensive listing of fire-resistant plants in the Great Lakes basin.
The guide is designed to help homeowners select landscape plants that can be planted near their home and out-buildings and be less likely to ignite in the event of a wildfire.
The publication, “Wildfire-Resistant Landscape Plants for Michigan E-2948,” is now available through the bulk bulletin office of MSU Extension and has a retail cost of $2.50.
More than 240 species of ground cover, perennials, trees, shrubs and vines that show some level of resistance to catching fire are included.
The MSU authors, R. Thomas Fernandez, of the Department of Horticulture; Mike Penskar, of the Michigan Natural Resources Inventory; and Mark Hansen, of MSU Extension, developed this publication to help rural homeowners protect their homes against wildfire.
“There are a lot of landscape plants around your home and business that burn even if they are still green,” says Beth Clawson, Van Buren County Natural Resources Extension educator. “This bulletin offers choices of plants that are less likely to catch fire in the event that a wildfire occurs and threatens their home and property.”
Clawson states that each year in Michigan, 8,000 to 10,000 wildfires occur and a number of these damage or destroy homes and outbuildings.
The authors caution homeowners however, that if a plant becomes dry enough, it can still burn. Therefore, it is important to keep plants watered and fertilized so that they remain green and healthy. The bulletin, in addition to listing fire-resistant species, also discusses wildfire behavior and encourages homeowners to provide defensible space around their home and outbuildings to further provide protection from a wildfire.