These plants and trees have a number of distinguishable features: There are many varieties of trees, shrubs and ground covers that are less likely to catch alight and burn in a bushfire, which resist intense burning and/or have less chance of contributing to ember attacks. There is a large enough variety of plants to be able to design almost any style of garden which will not catch fire easily! Fire Retardant Plants Please note that this is a simplified example to illustrate the concept of shelter belts and NOT a guide to site landscape design for fire protection, as each site will be different and therefore require a different set of safety measures!įire resistant/fire retardant trees and plants can also be used in general garden design around properties exposed to fire risk. The shelter belt is located on the side where incoming fires threaten, such as the direction of the side of a hill, or incoming winds, or bushland. One way to do this is to select appropriate fire retardant/resistant plants and trees, and locate them to create a shelter belt, which is planted at the boundary of the house.īetween the shelter belt and the house, there should be a minimum of 30m distance all round of clear space where all flammable materials have been removed. We can use nature’s resources to minimise risk, and work towards a strategy of fire prevention and damage reduction.
It’s important to note that no plant is fireproof and any plant can burn given enough heat and the right conditions, but many plants and trees are either fire retardant, in that they don’t tend to burn, depriving the fire of fuel, or at least fire resistant, being difficult to ignite.Įqually important, nearly all plants and trees used to reduce fire risk may require maintenance such as the removal of loose bark, dead branches, and dry leaf litter on the ground in accordance with fire authority requirements for bushfire prevention. Fire retardant ground covers are able to catch burning embers without catching fire themselves, and also slow the travel of a fire through debris and litter on the ground.Fire retardant trees are able reduce wind speed near a house and also trap embers and sparks carried by the wind.Fire retardant plants and trees are able to act as radiant heat screens and absorb more of the heat of an approaching fire without burning.How Does a Fire Shelter Belt Reduces Fire Risk?Ī fire shelter belt is a barrier of trees, shrubs and ground cover plants located strategically to reduce radiant heat and the chance of ember attack on a house. To reduce fire risk its important to reduce radiant heat and stop any embers blowing in the wind from reaching a house. Ember attack is the most common way houses catch fire during bushfires, when burning twigs, leaves and pieces of debris are carried by the wind and land on or around houses, especially into gutters filled with leaves.Radiant heat is the heat you feel when standing near a fire, and It is the biggest killer in fires, and the best protection from radiant heat is distance.There are two main dangers that fires present which have to be taken into consideration when preparing your property to make it safer. These fires can burn uncontrollably in wilderness and rural areas, tearing through forests or grasslands, consuming dry combustible fuels which build up from prolonged dry weather and drought conditions, causing widespread destruction. Hazardous - Delivery unavailable for any offshore location.Fire protection is especially important in Australia, the driest continent in the world, which is plagued by periodic bushfires. Do no expose to temperatures exceeding 50 o C/ 122 o F.P501 Dispose of contents/container to …P102 Keep out of reach of children. No smoking.P211 Do not spray on an open flame or other ignition source.P251 Do not pierce or burn, even after use.P260 Do not breathe dust/fume/gas/mist/vapours/spray.P264 Wash … thoroughly after handling.P271 Use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.P280 Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection.P312 Call a POISON CENTRE/doctor/…/if you feel unwell.P410 + P412 Protect from sunlight. P210 Keep away from heat, hot surfaces, sparks, open flames and other ignition sources.
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