It was a terrifying sight, especially for those living in the neighborhood. A cedar fence went up in flames within minutes at the corner of Highway 33 and Molnar Street on Monday. You can see similar sound barriers and fences all over the city, but they just aren’t well 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. “Particularly cedar and juniper, they pick up a lot of dead material in there. So it can essentially work like a match, where you have the oils on the outside to begin with and then they burn very easily afterwards.” He says it’s a good example of why you should remove plants proactively where possible to FireSmart your property. Earlier this year, the City of Kelowna took proactive action on its own land, removing cedars, junipers and other bush and plants that pose a fire hazard. It also offered a free FireSmart community chip pilot program to all homeowners in the zones where crews were working who wanted to put out the fire. “In the approximately two and a half months that we ran the program, we collected just under 100 metric tons of hazardous material 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 see things like a native plant called Oregon grape. It can grow quite tall and become quite dense. Barberry is another option, boxwood and California lilac are all options that can work in what we call the plant hardiness zone. So with our climate, with our weather,” he explains. Bergeson hopes to offer the community chip program again next year and expand it to even more communities across Kelowna. You can find program details and other FireSmart tips here.
