Cindy White
It was a scary sight, especially for those living in the neighborhood.
A cedar hedge burst into flames in a matter of minutes at the corner of Highway 33 and Molnar Road on Monday.
You can see similar sound barriers and hedges all over town, but they’re just not suited to the hot, dry climate of the Central Okanagan.
“They contain a lot of volatile oils, so they burn very hot,” said city forester Tara Bergeson.
“Cedar and juniper in particular collect a lot of dead material inside. So that can basically act like a match where you have the oils on the outside for the starter and then they burn very easily after that.
She says this is a good example of why you should remove plants proactively wherever possible to FireSmart your property.
Earlier this year, the City of Kelowna took proactive action on its own land, removing cedars, junipers and other shrubs and plants that pose a fire hazard. It is also offering a free FireSmart community chipping pilot program to all homeowners in the areas where firefighting crews are working.
“In the approximately two and a half months we’ve been running the program, we’ve collected just under 100 metric tons of hazardous materials from homes,” Bergeson said.
Bergeson adds that a fireproof privacy fence is your best bet, but if you want to replace cedars or junipers with other shrubs, consider something native to this part of North America.
“You can look at things like a native plant that’s called the Oregon grape. It can get pretty tall and get pretty dense. Berberis is another option, boxwood and California lilac are options that can work within what we call our plant hardiness zone. So with our climate, with our weather,” she explains.
Bergeson hopes to offer the community chipping program again next year and expand it to even more communities in Kelowna.
You can find program details and other FireSmart tips here.
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