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Tutorial
Eastern United States Fire Performance Plant Selector
The Fire Performance Plant Selector generates an online summary page complete with photos when you double click on any plant in the Plant Search Results list. This feature quickly summarizes all the fire performance characteristics of the plant. This option is available at any time during any search within the database.
Disclaimer: Please remember that ALL PLANT SPECIES WILL BURN! Plant material will move fire across a landscape to a structure if the fire is hot enough regardless of the plant species that are present. It is important to realize that there are often external site considerations that you must consider in a fire-prone landscape. The Fire Performance Plant Selector will help you make informed decisions about locating plant material in fire-prone landscapes. However, this tool is not the only preventative measure you can take. The National Firewise Web site (www.firewise.org) offers a wealth of Firewise resources to make your home and property much more Firewise. There are also many resources within the Fire Performance Plant Selector Resource tab that you are encouraged to review.
SECTION A: NAVIGATING THE HOME PAGE
HOME SCREEN
The Home screen welcomes you to the Web site and gives a brief overview of the Eastern United States Fire Performance Plant Selector. This screen explains the target audiences, basic function, and scientific rationale behind the Fire Performance Plant Selector. The Fire Performance Plant Selector is a simple tool that can help two user groups make informed landscape-level planning decisions about where to plant vegetation in fire-prone areas:
1. Users who are knowledgeable about plants
2. Users who are knowledgeable about Firewise principles
INTRODUCTION Tab
The Introduction tab provides general information about fire-prone landscapes, discusses situations that contribute to the spread of fire, and provides recommendations on how fire threats can be minimized in the home landscape. It also introduces you to fire management terms that are important to understand when using the Fire Performance Plant Selector. Each relevant term has a Tool-tip definition that appears when the curser is moved over the term as well as a live link to the Glossary.
The Introduction tab provides suggestions on locating a new home, modifying an existing home, and considerations if you live in a fire-prone area. Some of the suggestions are quite practical (making sure your address is marked on your property) while others are more technical, including suggestions related to vegetation care, landscaping, plant selection, and desirable plant characteristics that contribute to slowing vegetation ignition and the movement of fire onto a structure.
FIREWISE ZONES Tab
The Home Ignition Zone is a defensible Firewise Zone that can extend up to 200 feet from a structure depending on the depth of a property and the type of vegetation on adjacent lands. Within the Home Ignition Zone there are four Landscape Zones. It is very important that you become familiar with the distances for each Landscape Zone in the Firewise Zones tab. Landscape Zone 1 extends up to 5 feet from any structure within the Home Ignition Zone, Landscape Zone 2 is between 5 and 10 feet, and Landscape Zone 3 extends from 10 to 30 feet. For the purpose of the Fire Performance Plant Selector, Landscape Zone 4 (greater than 30 feet from any structure) is not included in the search function.
GETTING STARTED Tab
Use the Tutorial, Personalizing Reports, and Using Reports links to learn how to use the search functions in the Fire Performance Plant Selector. Before you begin using the Plant Selector, read the entire tutorial and work your way through the examples in Exercises #1 and #2.
Personalize Reports
Before you begin using the Fire Performance Plant Selector, select the Personalize Reports link under the Getting Started tab and fill in the contact information and location relevant to each search. This will ensure that all the reports you generate are personalized before you begin. Your personalized information is automatically saved as long as your cookies are enabled in your browser options. If you need to revise your personalized information before generating lists or plant factsheets, you can also make these changes while working by selecting the Reports tab.
Selecting a Logo
To automatically add a logo to any plant factsheets that you print, download a logo from your computer’s hard drive to the Fire Performance Plant Selector. Only use logos with the following file extensions (they can be either upper or lower case): JPG, JPEG, PNG, and GIF.
Tutorial
This step-by-step Tutorial will help you search for plant material that is best adapted for fire-prone landscapes. The tutorial will help you understand the many search options available in the Fire Performance Plant Selector and generate customized plant lists and factsheets from your search. The Tutorial will walk you through three exercises that reflect conditions you might find in an actual landscape.
REPORTS Tab
The Reports tab lets you update your personalized project information and export your searches into a Microsoft EXCEL spreadsheet or as a list in a Microsoft WORD document. This can be useful for field work or for developing more detailed reports related to a specific project.
The Factsheets link in the Reports tab enables you to select a plant from your Plant Search Results list and generate a factsheet that can be saved to your computer’s hard drive and printed. The Factsheet will include your personalized contact information, site information, and the logo you selected in the Personalize Reports link under the Getting Started tab. Each Factsheet provides a one-page summary, photos, and relevant information about the plants from the search.
PLANT SELECTOR Tab
The Plant Selector tab launches the Fire Performance Plant Selector. You must first select your user preference (User with Plant Knowledge or User with Firewise Knowledge) before beginning your searches. The Fire Performance Plant Selector begins with the entire plant list. As you specify the criteria for each search, the plant list is modified to match your selection(s). Each search builds on the previous searches, which may or may not reduce the resulting number of plants in the plant list. You can make multiple selections for any search. You can also return to the original plant search list by simply using the back button at the top left-hand corner of the Web page.
PLANT LIST Tab
At any point while using the Fire Performance Plant Selector, select the Plant List tab on the left-hand menu to view all the plants in the database. The Common Name, Scientific Name, Firewise Ranking, and Landscape Zone for each plant will be displayed.
Note: You can also search for plants using the F3 function if you are using Mozilla Firefox as your browser.
GLOSSARY Tab
The Glossary works in three different ways. You can select the letter of the alphabet related to your search and scroll through the vocabulary terms, scroll down the alphabetized list until you find the term you are looking for, or use the Search feature by typing in the term. To return to your search, simply click on the green back arrow in the upper left-hand corner of the screen.
Note: The Search feature searches for glossary terms as well as terms used within the definitions.
RESOURCES Tab
The Resources tab provides a list of useful
resources for learning more about fire management. The resources are grouped
into the following lists: Firewise
Resources, State Firewise Programs,
Climate, Weather Information, Forest Service Links, Fire Behavior and Vegetation, Community Resources, Homeowner Resources, Research, and Books.
STATE CONTACTS Tab
The State Contacts tab provides a list of Firewise Community State Liaisons and Urban and Community Forestry program State Coordinators in the region served by Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry. The State program contacts can provide a wealth of additional technical information related to programs, resources, and issues.
FEEDBACK Tab
We welcome Feedback on the Fire Performance Plant Selector concerning issues, suggestions related to Firewise principles, the plant lists, functionality of the site, or new resources. Please select the Feedback tab on the left, check the box the comments refer to, and provide us with your feedback. An e-mail message will be sent to the Fire Performance Plant Selector developers and addressed promptly.
BROWSER REQUIREMENTS Tab
The Fire Performance Plant Selector
is optimized for Mozilla Firefox browsers and tested on current versions of Microsoft Internest Explorer, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari.
CREDITS Tab
The Eastern United States Fire Performance Plant Selector would not have been developed without the collaboration of many partners. Be sure to read the credits to find out how the scientific methodology for the Fire Performance Rating was developed, where the concept originated, and who played an instrumental role in its development.
SECTION B: BEGINNING YOUR SEARCH
PLANT SELECTOR Tab
SELECT: Plant Selector tab in the left-hand column. The five tabs across the top of the Web page—Plants, Fire, Environment, Urban & Utility, and Reports—turn white when they are activated. The tabs will not be activated until you choose your User Type by selecting one of the following options:
User with Plant Knowledge or User with Firewise Knowledge
EXERCISE #1: User with Plant Knowledge
A home exists in a fire-prone community. The homeowners have asked you to identify Firewise and Moderately Firewise plant material within Landscape Zone 2 (LZ2) of the Home Ignition Zone.
The home is in Pike County, located in northeastern Pennsylvania, in Cold Hardiness Zone 6 and Heat Tolerance Zone 7. It is on a one-quarter-acre site with a backyard that extends 100 feet from the home and abuts an existing natural scrub-oak vegetative community with soils that are well drained and acidic. The homeowners would like a variety of plants that do not grow too quickly, have diverse leaf colors, have interesting growth forms, have different mature sizes, and that are a mix of deciduous and evergreens to give the landscape some seasonal interest.
Reading through the information in the Introduction tab, the homeowners are aware that vegetation planted in an improper location will have poor vigor and is more likely to ignite in the event of a wildfire. Based on this, they have decided to use river stone under the overhang instead of planting vegetation in Landscape Zone 1 of the Home Ignition Zone.
Using this scenario, we will generate a list of plants for Landscape Zone 2 (LZ2 is 5’ to 10’ from the structure) within the Home Ignition Zone. As a user, you are knowledgeable about plant material but require the Fire Performance Plant Selector to help you choose plant material that is Moderately Firewise to Firewise.
SELECT User with Plant Knowledge
Note: The PLANTS tab lettering turns white when it is activated. If you had chosen User with Firewise Knowledge, the FIRE tab lettering would be activated and white.
By default, when you select either User with Plant Knowledge or User with Firewise Knowledge, the plant names default to the Common Name. To see scientific names in your plant search, choose the Scientific Plant Names option for the Plant Search Results. Both scientific and common plant names are provided in all Reports.
Based on the needs of the homeowners, we will begin our search.
PLANTS Tab
Under the Plants tab there is a list of Plant Characteristics (Plant Height, Form, and Native Plant, among others). Each has a pulldown menu with options you can select based on your search needs. The Fire Performance Plant Selector enables you to choose multiple values for each search.
SELECT Plant Height. A pulldown menu appears. Since we will focus on Landscape Zone 2, we want plant material that will not grow too large, so we check 0’-2’, 3’-4’, 5’-9’, 10’-19’, and 20’-29’. The Plant Search List on the right changes to reflect these selections. The original Plant List of 541 plants is reduced to 336 plants.
SELECT Form. A pulldown menu appears. The homeowners have requested that the new plants have interesting form, so we select multiple values—Columnar, Oval, Pyramidal, Round, Upright, and Vase—to ensure that plants selected will have a variety of growth forms. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 276.
SELECT Native Plant. A pulldown menu appears. It is not important to the homeowners if the plant is native or non-native, so both selections remain unchecked. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 276.
SELECT Growth Rate. A pulldown menu appears. The homeowners requested plants with a Slow to Medium Growth Rate, so Slow and Medium growth rates are checked. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 204.
SELECT Number of Trunks. A pulldown menu appears. At this time, it is not important to identify the number of trunks, so all selections remain unchecked. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 204.
SELECT Bark. A pulldown menu appears. The homeowners have no preference for bark type at this time, so all selections remain unchecked. Note: There is a flame before the Bark tab. The flame indicates that this is an important characteristic for a User with Firewise Knowledge to consider because bark type can influence how quickly a plant will ignite. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 204.
Note: The Bark tab is a valuable search tool that can help a User with Firewise Knowledge better refine searches based on preferred bark characteristics. Because bark characteristics is a criterion used to determine Firewise Ratings initially, the Plant Search Results list may not return a reduced number of plants when you select specific bark types.
SELECT Leaf Color. A pulldown menu appears. Because the homeowners would like a variety of leaf colors, Dark Green, Green, Purple, and Red are selected. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 203.
SELECT Leaf Surface. A pulldown menu appears. Since you are a User with Plant Knowledge and are not very familiar with how leaf surface will impact the fire performance of the plants you are searching for, all options remain unchecked. Note: There is a flame before the Leaf Surface tab. The flame indicates that this is an important plant characteristic that may be useful to a User with Firewise Knowledge. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 203.
SELECT Leaf Arrangement. A pulldown menu appears. At this time it is not important to determine what type of leaf arrangement is preferred; therefore, no selections are made. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 203.
SELECT Leaf Type. A pulldown menu appears. Leaf Type is not important to the homeowners; therefore, no selections are made. Note: There is a flame before the Leaf Type tab. The flame indicates that this plant characteristic is important to a User with Firewise Knowledge. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 203.
SELECT Ignitable Leaf Characteristics. A pulldown menu appears. Ignitable Leaf Characteristics have a great influence on flammability. It is not important to select any of the characteristics listed under Ignitable Leaf Characteristics at this time. Note: There is a flame before the Ignitable Leaf Characteristics tab. The flame indicates that this is an important plant characteristic that may be useful to a User with Firewise Knowledge. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 203.
SELECT Leaf Persistence. A pulldown menu appears. It is important to the homeowners to include some plant material in Landscape Zone 2 around the home for seasonal interest, so all options are checked (Evergreen, Deciduous, and Persistent). Note: There is a flame in front of Leaf Persistence. This signifies that Leaf Persistence is an important Firewise characteristic—plants that retain leaves throughout the winter can more easily ignite because the retained leaves are often dry and brittle. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 203.
SELECT Pest Resistance. A pulldown menu appears. It is important to the homeowners that the selected plants are resistant to pests, so Medium and High are checked. Note: There is a flame in front of Pest Resistance because the overall vigor of plant material in a landscape has a great impact on the ability of a plant to ignite and burn. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 169.
FIRE Tab
SELECT Landscape Zone. A pulldown menu appears. Since the homeowners are looking for plant material for Landscape Zone 2 (LZ2 is 5’ to 10’ from the structure), we check Landscape Zone LZ2. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 106.
Note: By default all plants adaptable for Landscape Zone LZ1 are included in the list for Landscape Zone LZ2 plants.
SELECT Firewise Rating. A pulldown menu appears. The homeowners have requested that any new plant recommendations are rated as Firewise. The Firewise rating is selected. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 24.
SELECT Ladder Potential. A pulldown menu appears. Ladder Potential refers to the potential of a plant to raise fire from the ground level up and onto a structure. The homeowners have decided to remove all vegetation in Landscape Zone 1 and use river stone instead of planting vegetation. They would also prefer to plant small trees in Landscape Zone 2. Based on these choices, Ladder Potential is important.
Because the homeowners are knowledgeable about plants and relatively good at pruning, they intend to prune all their new trees to remove lower branches and branches in contact with other trees, shrubs, and the ground. Therefore, no selection is made for Ladder Potential. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 24.
ENVIRONMENT Tab
SELECT Cold Hardiness Zone. A pulldown menu appears. Since this home is located in Cold Hardiness Zone 6, it is selected. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 24.
SELECT Heat Tolerance Zone. A pulldown menu appears. Heat Tolerance Zones are delineated by the American Horticultural Society based on the average high temperature for days over 85 degrees. This home is located in Pike County of northeastern Pennsylvania, and its Heat Tolerance Zone is 7. Therefore, Heat Tolerance Zone 7 is checked. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 20.
Note: When a given Heat Tolerance Zone is selected, the Heat Tolerance Zones immediately above and below this zone are also selected. This ensures that microclimate is considered.
SELECT Soil pH. A pulldown menu appears. The home is located in a mixed scrub-oak vegetative community type with acidic soils. Acidic is checked. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 17.
SELECT Sun Exposure. A pulldown menu appears. You are not certain of the sun exposure requirements for any Firewise plants selected. All options are selected. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 17.
Note: Once a final plant list is generated by the Fire Performance Plant Selector, use the Sun Exposure option to further query the Plant Search Results list for plant material adapted to specific exposures in the landscape.
SELECT Salt Tolerance. A pulldown menu appears. Salt tolerance is not an important consideration at this time. No selections are made. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 17.
SELECT Tolerance to Poorly Drained Soils. A pulldown menu appears. The home is located on soils that are very well drained. High and Medium are selected because the homeowners have well-established planting beds that will hold more moisture than the existing native soils. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 7.
SELECT Drought Resistance. A pulldown menu appears. The home is located on soils that are very well drained but the homeowners have well-established planting beds that will retain more moisture than the existing native soils. Due to this, High and Medium are selected for Drought Resistance. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 7.
URBAN & UTILITY Tab
SELECT Urban Use. A pulldown menu appears. Since this home is in a residential neighborhood in a very small community, Medium is selected. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 6.
SELECT Utility Use. A pulldown menu appears. Overhead utilities are not an issue on this property, so no selections are checked. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 6.
SELECT Response to Pruning. A pulldown menu appears. Because the homeowners have some pruning experience, they would like to see the list of recommended Firewise plant material before making any pruning choices. No selection is made. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 6.
SELECT Invasive. A pulldown menu appears. The homeowners do not want to use any invasive plants or plants that have the potential to become invasive. Both Potential and No options are selected. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 6.
The final Plant Search Results is 6 plants based on the criteria in Exercise #1.
REPORTS Tab
Now that you have generated a list of six plants that have been selected based on the site requirements and the homeowner preferences for Tutorial Exercise #1, use the Reports tab to generate two types of reports and individual personalized factsheets with information about any plants on your final Plant Search Results list.
The Reports tab lets you export your personalized searches into a Microsoft EXCEL spreadsheet or as a list in a Microsoft WORD document. This can be useful for field work or for developing more detailed reports related to your searches.
Additionally, there is a tab within the Factsheets link in the Reports tab that enables you to select a plant from your Plant Search Results list and generate a Factsheet that can be saved and printed. The Factsheet also includes your personalized contact information, site information, and the logo you selected in the Personalize Reports link under the Getting Started tab.
The factsheets can help homeowners and others make informed decisions about which Firewise plant selections they should consider planting.
EXERCISE # 2: User with Firewise Knowledge
A home exists in a subdivision in a fire-prone community in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia in Cold Hardiness Zone 6 and Heat Tolerance Zone 6. The soil is very dry and acidic because the subdivision was built in an area where Virginia pine dominated the site. Although the soil is dry and acidic, the homeowners have amended the soil in their planting beds and water occasionally when it is very dry.
The homeowners have asked you as a Fire Specialist to evaluate the property from a Firewise standpoint—to specifically look at existing vegetation and provide some suggestions for fire-adapted plant material. The home has overgrown, dying common juniper as a foundation planting in Landscape Zone 1 (0’ to 5’ from the structure). Also, 8 feet from the home there is a 5-foot-high hedge of little leaf boxwood that extends to a wooden trellis attached to the one-story ranch home. A group of three medium-sized (30-foot-high) Virginia pines are located about 20 feet from the home. The homeowners have asked you to develop a list of appropriate plant material for Landscape Zone 3 (10’ to 30’ from the structure).
Based on the needs of the homeowners, we will begin our search.
SELECT the Getting Started tab.
SELECT Personalize Reports.
PLANT SELECTOR Tab
SELECT: User with Firewise Knowledge
Note: The FIRE tab turns from green to white when it is activated. Make sure the plant list contains the original 541 plants in the database. If it doesn’t, select the Clear button in the Plant Search Results list panel on the right.
FIRE Tab
SELECT Landscape Zone. A pulldown menu appears. Since the homeowners are looking for plant material for Landscape Zone 3 (10’ to 30’ from the structure), select Landscape Zone (LZ3).
The Plant Search Results list returns 297 plants.
SELECT Firewise Rating. A pulldown menu appears. The homeowners only want to use plants that are rated as Firewise. The Firewise rating is checked. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 128.
SELECT Ladder Potential. A pulldown menu appears. Ladder Potential refers to the potential of a plant to raise fire from the ground level up and onto a structure. Since Landscape Zone 3 is not near the structure, we will select No for ladder potential. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 99.
ENVIRONMENT Tab
SELECT Cold Hardiness Zone. A pulldown menu appears. Since this home is located in Cold Hardiness 6, Zone 6 is selected. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 96.
SELECT Heat Tolerance Zone. A pulldown menu appears. Heat Tolerance Zones are delineated by the American Horticultural Society based on the average high temperature for days over 85 degrees. The home is located in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia and the Heat Tolerance Zone is Zone 6. Zone 6 is checked on the pulldown menu. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 65.
Note: When a given Heat Tolerance Zone is selected, the Heat Tolerance Zones immediately above and below this zone are also selected. This ensures that microclimate is considered.
SELECT Soil PH. A pulldown menu appears. The home is located in a subdivision where the native plant community type is dominated by Virginia pine and the soil is acidic. Because it is a residential property with homeowners who amend their soils, Acidic and Adaptable are checked. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 63.
SELECT Sun Exposure. A pulldown menu appears. You are not certain of the exposure requirements for the selected Firewise plant selections, so all options are selected. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 63.
Note: Once a final plant list is generated, you can go back and use the Sun Exposure option to further query the Plant Search Results list for plant material adapted to specific exposures.
SELECT Salt Tolerance. A pulldown menu appears. Salt Tolerance is not an important consideration at this time. No selections are made. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 63.
SELECT Tolerance to Poorly Drained Soils. A pulldown menu appears. The home is located on soils that are very dry, so poorly drained soils are not a consideration at this time. No options are selected. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 63.
SELECT Drought Resistance. A pulldown menu appears. The home is located on soils that are very dry but the planting areas are amended with compost and watered when they become very dry. Because of this, High and Medium are selected for Drought Resistance. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 57.
URBAN & UTILITY Tab
SELECT Urban Use. A pulldown menu appears. Since this home is in a subdivision in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, High and Medium are selected. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 52.
SELECT Utility Use. A pulldown menu appears. Overhead utilities are not an issue on this property so no selections are checked. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 52.
SELECT Response to Pruning. A pulldown menu appears. In this particular situation as a Firewise Specialist, you do not consider this to be important for Landscape Zone 3. No selections are made. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 52.
SELECT Invasive. A pulldown menu appears. The homeowners do not want to use any invasive plants or plants that have the potential to become invasive. Both Potential and No options are selected. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 50.
PLANTS Tab
SELECT Plant Height. A pulldown menu appears. Since we will focus on Landscape Zone 3 (LZ3 = 10’ to 30’ from the structure), as a Firewise Specialist you would prefer plants that do not get too high in this zone. As a result, you check 0’-2’, 3’-4’, 5’-9’, 10’-19’, 20’-29’, and 30’-39’. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 17.
SELECT Form. A pulldown menu appears. Form is not important to you as a Firewise Specialist at this time, so no selections are made. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 17.
SELECT Native Plant. A pulldown menu appears. It is not important to the homeowners if the plants are native or non-native, so both selections remain unchecked. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 17.
SELECT Growth Rate. A pulldown menu appears. The homeowners requested plants with a Slow to Medium Growth Rate, so Slow and Medium are checked. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 14.
SELECT Number of Trunks. A pulldown menu appears. As a Firewise Specialist, you know that many small trees are often multi-stemmed, and you do not want to limit your search too much. You also know that you do not want really densely branched large shrubs. As a result, Single and Multi -Stemmed < than 6 is selected. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 12.
SELECT Bark. A pulldown menu appears. The homeowners have no preference for bark type at this time, so all selections remain unchecked. Note: There is a flame on the Bark tab. Because bark is one of the criteria used in determining the Firewise Ratings, it is not important to select bark types at this time unless there is a specific bark type the homeowners prefer. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 12.
Note: Because bark characteristics is a criterion used to determine Firewise Ratings initially, the Plant Search Results list may not return a reduced number of plants when you select specific bark types.
SELECT Leaf Color. A pulldown menu appears. Leaf color is not important at this time. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 12.
SELECT Leaf Surface. A pulldown menu appears. Since you are a User with Firewise Knowledge, leaf type characteristics are unfamiliar to you, so you do not select any of the Leaf Type options. Note: There is a flame before the Leaf Surface tab. The flame indicates that this is an important plant characteristic related to Firewise principles because plants with oily leaves or hair on the leaves will ignite more quickly. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 12.
Note: In this case, the number of plants in the Plant Search Results list remains the same because Leaf Surface has also been factored into the Firewise Ratings methodology.
SELECT Leaf Arrangement. A pulldown menu appears. Leaf arrangement is not important in this exercise; therefore, no selections are made. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 12.
Note: Leaf Arrangement is a very important consideration if you are trying to identify a plant; however, the Fire Performance Plant Selector is not intended to be used as an identification tool.
SELECT Leaf Type. A pulldown menu appears. Leaf type is not important to you at this time, so nothing is selected. Note: There is a flame before the Leaf Type tab. The flame indicates that this plant characteristic is important to a User with Firewise Knowledge. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 12.
Note: As a Firewise Specialist, you are aware that given a dense population of existing Virginia pine in the subdivision, it is not wise to introduce additional pine trees into this fire-prone landscape. Leaf Type can be used as a test to check if there are any evergreens in the current Plant Search Results list. As a test, you select Needle. The Plant Search Results list is reduced to 0. This indicates that there are no other pines on your current Plant Search Results list. Now uncheck Needle and the Plant Search Results list reverts back to 12.
SELECT Ignitable Leaf Characteristics. A pulldown menu appears. Ignitable Leaf Characteristics can influence ignitability. This has already been addressed in the Firewise Rankings, so nothing is selected under Ignitable Leaf Characteristics at this time. Note: There is a flame before the Ignitable Leaf Characteristics tab. The flame indicates that this is an important plant characteristic that may be useful to a User with Firewise Knowledge. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 12.
SELECT Leaf Persistence. A pulldown menu appears. In this fire-prone landscape, you do not want any plant material that will maintain dry leaves throughout dormancy, so you select Deciduous (meaning plants that lose all their leaves during the winter). The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 12.
SELECT Pest Resistance. A pulldown menu appears. In this exercise, as in most cases, it is very important to the homeowners that the selected plants are resistant to pests and diseases, so Medium and High are checked. Note: There is a flame before the Pest Resistance tab because the overall vigor of plant material in a landscape has a great impact on the ability of a plant to ignite and burn. Unhealthy plant material is more likely to ignite because it will tend to have more dead debris within the plant. The Plant Search Results list remains the same at 12. This means that all the plants in your current Plant Search Results list have either High or Medium pest resistance.
REPORTS Tab
Now that you have generated a list of 12 plants that have been selected based on the site requirements and homeowner preferences for Tutorial Exercise #2, use the Reports tab to generate two types of reports and individual personalized Factsheets with information about any plants on your final Plant Search Results list.
The Reports tab allows you to export your personalized searches into a Microsoft EXCEL spreadsheet or as a list in a Microsoft WORD document. This can be useful for field work or for developing more detailed reports related to your searches.
Note: At any time during your search, you can double click on a plant from your Plant Search Results list and generate a Factsheet that can be saved and printed. The Factsheet will include your personalized contact information, site information, and the logo you selected in the Personalize Reports link under the Getting Started tab.
EXERCISE # 3: Others Ways to Use the Fire Performance Plant Selector
Searching for Specific Plant Information
The Fire Performance Plant Selector can be used in many ways depending on your needs. It is not intended to be a plant identification key. The Resources tab lists plant identification keys that are much more technical in nature.
In Exercise #2 above, the home exists in a subdivision in a fire-prone community in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The homeowners asked you, as a Fire Specialist, to evaluate the property from a Firewise standpoint, specifically looking at existing vegetation, and provide some suggestions.
Now the homeowners are interested in knowing what the Firewise Ratings are for the common juniper in the foundation planting in Landscape Zone 1, the 5-foot-high hedge of little leaf boxwood that extends to a wooden trellis attached to the house in Landscape Zone 2, and a group of three medium-sized (30-foot-high) Virginia pines located about 20 feet from the home in Landscape Zone 3.
There are a number of ways you can easily determine the Firewise Rating of these identified existing plants without running a series of searches.
SELECT the Plant List tab in the left-hand column of the Home page.
Use the F3 key search function to find common juniper in the plant list by typing it into the search box, or simply scroll down the list to find it. The Plant List tells us that common juniper is recommended for Landscape Zone 2 (5’ to 10’ from the structure) and is Not Firewise. Based on this, the common juniper should be removed from where it is growing against the home in Landscape Zone 1.
Next, we will look up the 5-foot-high hedge of little leaf boxwood that is growing approximately 8 feet from the home and extends to the wooden trellis. We find that it is best suited for Landscape Zone 2 (5’ to 10’ from the structure). Searching in the Plant List we find it is considered to be At Risk Firewise. Since the homeowners have requested all Firewise plant material, the little leaf boxwood should be removed.
Note: Based on information in the Introduction tab of the Fire Performance Plant Selector, we know that in the event of a wildfire, the little leaf boxwood could also act to move fire to the trellis and to the structure. So based on Firewise Principles, it would be prudent to remove the 5-foot-high little leaf boxwood hedge.
We do this because we know ALL PLANTS WILL BURN. Plant material that serves in any way to move fire across a landscape to a structure is considered to be located in an improper location. In a situation like this, it is important to realize that there are often external factors that must be considered in locating any vegetation within the Home Ignition Zone in a fire-prone landscape.
Next, we look up Virginia pine in the Plant List because there is a group of three pines located approximately 20 feet from the structure. Virginia pine is Not Firewise. Since the homeowners have requested only Firewise plant material, we recommend that they remove the Virginia pines and replace them with a plant species that is Firewise.
We hope you enjoyed this Tutorial. There are many more ways to use the Fire Performance Plant Selector. We invite you to try.
Thank you.
(V. 10.19.11)
