Gallatin County Fire Council

GCF

DEPARTMENTS

Gallatin County Fire | Defensible Space

Creating defensible space around your home

Remember, the person most likely to save your life and home is you. Creating defensible space around your home is critical. It helps local and state firefighters protect not only your property, but that of your community. Clear branches, dry grass, leaves, and needles away from the house, and remove excess vegetation. Keep your roof and gutters free of debris. Pile firewood and other flammable materials away from your house. Maintain a ready source of water—preferably from a tank or a supply that doesn’t rely on electricity. Gather valuable and irreplaceable personal items in one place. Have an emergency plan, and be sure to have escape routes mapped out for your family, pets, and livestock. The work you do beforehand is just as crucial as what you do once a fire has arrived. For more ideas and information, visit: www.firewise.org.

Defensible Space  

1. Is the area within 30 feet of every side of your home(up to 200' if your home is on a slope) free from all combustible materials including firewood?

2. Have you replaced uncut grass, brush, trees or combustible materials with a maintained lawn(watered and mowed), crushed rock, or other non-combustible materials?

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A Discussion and List of Fire Resistant Plant Species from MSU-Bozeman Horticulturist Dr. R.E. Gough

 

Fires can damage soil and reduce its capacity to hold moisture.

This can affect plants' ability to survive. However, there are a number of groundcovers, herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees that are fire-resistant and are listed here.

Any plant will burn if it is dry enough and the fire slow enough and hot enough. The ability of a plant to survive a fire depends upon the speed and type of fire, the time of year, the moisture-holding capacity of the plant, and the plant species.

Slow-moving fires can do more damage than those that move rapidly across a site. In forest settings, crown fires that travel from the crown of one tree to another often are more damaging than other types because they destroy the foliage and thus reduce the plants' capacity to photosynthesize. This inability
to manufacture carbohydrates weakens the plant and makes it more susceptible to subsequent winter damage and pest infestations. Young trees are more severely affected by this type of fire than older trees.

Ground fires kill the cambium and phloem (parts of the plant responsible for its growth), often girdling or partially girdling the plant, which can lead to the death of the plant.

However, new tissue laid down in the following spring allows many damaged trees to survive.

Succulent plants and those full of water (for instance, in spring), survive fires better than trees with low moisture contents. Shrubs often survive by their ability to re-sprout from their bases.

Degradation of Site Quality

Fires burn soil organic matter, reducing the soil's capacity to store water and fostering compaction. They accelerate erosion and increase the magnitude of fluctuations in soil temperatures. As much as 70 percent of the nitrogen and some other nutrients are lost by volatilization, ash convection, and subsequent leaching after hot fires. However, the nitrogen is often replaced quickly by rain, increased soil microbial activity, and nitrogen fixation. Some nutrients are also released from burned organic matter, often making the total availability of mineral nutrients to the plants higher after the fire than before. Site quality deteriorates more on coarse sands and heavy soils than on sandy and loamy soils.

Following a fire, prune out dead branches and be sure the remaining plants are watered well. There may be no reason to add huge quantities of fertilizer.

Under forest conditions, tree species with thicker, corky bark -- western larch, ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, long-leaf pine and bur oak -- often escape severe fire damage. Those with thinner bark, such as alpine fir, Engelmann spruce and lodgepole pine, and many younger trees, are more likely to be killed by ground fires. Conifers as a group are considered more susceptible to fire damage than deciduous species because of their high resin content.

Following is a list of plant species adapted to Montana that have been noted to be fire resistant. Not all species on this list will grow in all parts of the state. Refer to "Choosing Trees and Shrubs for Montana Landscapes" (Montana Extension Bulletin EB 123), "Choosing Herbaceous Perennials and
Biennials" (MontGuide 9903) and "Growing Annual Flowers" (MontGuide 9501) for more information on growing site conditions for selected species.
We have also avoided categorizing plants as "fast-growing" or "slow-growing" since this can be misleading?there are too many variables that can affect the rate of growth of a plant. Some information in the tables pertains only to
observations on a single cultivar, but there is little reason to believe that other cultivars of the same species might not be equally resistant. In one case, an entire family (Rose) is generally considered to be fire-resistant. This family includes apples, pears, peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, hawthorn, cotoneaster, juneberry, raspberry, blackberry and, of course, rose. Some entries include an entire genus (ash, for
example) followed by some individual species. This is because some references list only a genus while others list particular species as being resistant.

Fire Resistant Plant Species Adapted to Montana

Groundcovers and Herbaceous Plants


Common Name Genus and Species

Alfalfa
Medicago sativus

Bergenia
Bergenia spp.

Blanket Flower
Gaillardia x grandiflora

Bluegrass, Kentucky
Poa pratensis

Buffalograss
Buchloe dactyloides

Candytuft, Evergreen
Iberis sempervirens

Carpet bugle
Ajuga reptans

Cinquefoil, Spring
Potentilla tabernaemontanii

Columbine
Aquilegia spp.

Coral Bells
Heuchera sanguinea

Coreopsis
Coreopsis spp.

Cotoneaster
Cotoneaster ssp.

Cotoneaster, Rock
Cotoneaster horizontalis

Cotoneaster, Bearberry
Cotoneaster dammerii

Daisy, Shasta
Leucanthemum x superbum

Daylily
Hemerocallis spp.

Drosanthemum
Drosanthemum speciosum

Dusty Miller
Artemisa stelleriana

Fescue
Festuca spp.

Fescue, Blue
Festuca cinerea

Fescue, Tall
Festuca arundinacea

Fescue, Creeping Red
Festuca rubra

Flax
Linum spp.

Fleabane
Erigeron hybrids

Four O'clock
Mirabilis spp.

Geranium, Hardy
Geranium cinereum

Geranium, Bloodred
Geranium sanguineum

Geranium
Geranium spp.

Ginger, Wild
Asarum caudatum

Hen and Chicks
Sempervivum tectorum

Iris
Iris spp.

Kinnickinnick
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Lambs Ear
Stachys byzantina

Lavender
Lavandula spp.

Lupine
Lupinus spp.

Mahonia, Creeping
Mahonia repens

Mock Strawberry
Duchesnea indica

Fire Resistant Plant Species Adapted to Montana

Groundcovers and Herbaceous Plants Common Name Genus and Species

Mountain Spray
Holodiscus spp.

Myrtle, Dwarf Periwinkle
Vinca minor

Orchardgrass
Dactylis glomerata

Penstemon, Rocky Mountain
Penstemon strictus

Pinks
Dianthus plumarius

Poppy
Papaver spp.

Poppy, California
Eschscholzia californica

Potentilla
Potentilla spp.

Primrose, Mexican Evening
Oenothera berlandieri

Primrose
Oenothera spp.

Pussytoes
Antennaria spp.

Red Hot Poker
Kniphofia uvaria

Ryegrass
Lolium spp.

Sage
Salvia spp.

Sedum, Goldmoss
Sedum acre

Silver Spreader
Artemisia caucasica

Snow-in-Summer
Cerastium tomentosum

Stonecrop
Sedum spathulifoluim

Stonecrop, Green
Sedum album

Strawberry, Wild
Fragaria chiloensis

Sunrose
Helianthus mummularium

Thrift, Common
Armeria maritima

Thyme, Wooly
Thymus pseudolanuginosus

Thyme, Creeping
Thymus praecox articus

Valerian, Red
Centranthus ruber

Violet, Canadian
Viola canandensis

Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Wheatgrasss, Western
Agropyron cristatum

Wheatgrass, Crested (low-growing)
Agropyron cristatum

Winterfat
Eurotia spp.

Yarrow
Achillea spp.

Yarrow, White
Achillea millefolium white

Yarrow, Fernleaf
Achillea filipendulina

Yarrow, Wooly
Achillea tomentosa var. Moonshine

Yucca
Yucca filamentosa

Fire Resistant Plant Species Adapted to Montana

Trees

Common Name Genus and Species

Alder, White
Alnus rhombifolia

Ash
Fraxinus spp.

Ash, Green
Fraxinus pennsylvanica

Aspen, Quaking
Populus tremuloides

Birch
Betula spp .

Cottonwood
Populus spp.

Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis

Locust, Black
Robinia pseudoacacia

Maple
Acer spp.

Maple, Big-toothed
Acer grandidentatum

Maple, Boxelder
Acer negundo

Maple, Rocky Mountain
Acer glabrum

Olive, Russian
Eleagnus angustifolia

Poplar
Populus spp.

Narrowleaf Cottonwood
Populus angustifolia

Prunus
Prunus spp.

Shrubs

Common Name Genus and Species

Antelope Brush
Fendlera rupicola

Buckthorn
Rhamnus spp.

Buffaloberry
Shepherdia spp.

Buffaloberry, Russett
Shepherdia canadensis

Buffaloberry, Silver
Shepherdia angentea

Cherry
Prunus spp.

Cherry, Sand
Prunus besseyi

Cherry, Nanking
Prunus tomentosa

Chokecherry
Prunus virginiana

Cinquefoil, Shrubby
Potentilla fruiticosa

Deerbrush (Buckbrush)
Ceanothus spp.

Dogwood, Red-osier
Cornus sericea (C. stolonifera)

Gooseberries and Currants
Ribes spp.

Honeysuckle
Lonicera spp.

Lilac, Common
Syringa vulgaris

Mahogany, Mountain
Cercocarpus spp.

Mockorange
Philadelphus spp.

Plum, Native
Prunus americana

Pyracantha
Pyracantha spp.

Raspberry
Rubus spp.

Rose, most members of this family
Rosaceae

Saltbush
 Atriplex spp.

Sumac, Skunkbush
Rhus trilobata

Updates on Millie Fire and other Montana Fires

Gallatin County Emergency Management - Fire Updates

Burn Permits are issued by The Gallatin County Burn Permit service – found at www.BurnPermits.mt.gov. The online service will allow citizens to purchase a burn permit using a debit/credit card or an electronic check. Citizens will also be able to activate their permit online or by calling the county’s new automated phone system at 1-877-306-BURN (2876).

Open Burning is allowed only WITH A PERMIT between March 1st and November 30th. Permit holders are still required to follow SPECIFIC GUIDELINES when burning. This includes notifying when the burn will occur and taking necessary safety measures to contain the burn. Your burn must be attended.

The following materials are PROHIBITED: Food wastes, Animal droppings, Treated lumber, Styrofoam, Plastics, Dead animals or animal parts, Pathogenic wastes, Hazardous materials, Materials resulting from salvage operations, Automobile or aircraft bodies and interiors, Insulated wire, Oil and petroleum products, Standing or demolished structure, Wastes generating noxious odors, Poultry litter, Tires, Rubber material, Tar paper, Chemicals, Asphalt Shingles, Asbestos or asbestos-containing material.