Oliver FireSmart

Welcome to Firesmart Friday!

Every Friday we will highlight a topic to help you know more about being Firesmart. We will also look to promote some Firesmart Plants for those of you with a green thumb and looking to keep your garden beautiful and safe.

FireSmart Begins With You!
After a mild winter, spring has arrived. With the weather warming up, now’s a great time to start crossing off some of those FireSmart tasks on your list. If you’re not sure where to begin, start by:

* Removing leaves and pine needles from your roof and gutters.
* Ensuring your doors are fire-rated and have an effective seal.
* Removing flammable items within 1.5 metres around your home

Follow this link for more info--->https://shorturl.at/GdcVc

FireSmart BC Begins At Home Guide It’s time to get FireSmart about wildfires in BC. Your community might not be ready to face this year’s wildfires. We’re here to help you be prepared.

There’s much to appreciate about February’s Plant of the Month: Sea Thrift (Armeria maritima) 🌸

This fire-resistant groundcover offers year-round interest with evergreen, grass-like foliage and cheerful, button-shaped blooms in spring.

Low-growing, cold hardy, and drought tolerant once established, Sea Thrift thrives in full sun to partial shade and works well as a fire-resistant living mulch in the Intermediate Zone.

Make your landscape beautiful and FireSmart. Learn more about Sea Thrift and other fire-resistant plants: https://firesmartbc.ca/plants-of-the-month/sea-thrift/

? The area around your home, the Home Ignition Zone, is the most important place to focus your FireSmart efforts. 🏠

Clear flammable debris to reduce wildland fire risk. Small actions make a big difference!
➡️ https://ow.ly/hKrh50YbQkT

FireSmart BC Landscaping Hub By making the right strategic choices in your yard, you can make your property more resilient to wildfire. This hub includes an extensive list of fire-resistant plants, tips on how to create a FireSmart landscape, and information on the FireSmart BC Plant Program.

🌿 Dropmore Scarlet Honeysuckle is this month’s fire-resistant plant!

This twining vine features abundant, trumpet-shaped flowers in vivid scarlet, blooming from early summer through fall. Hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators are drawn to its showy blooms, bringing movement and colour to FireSmart landscapes.

While vines can act as ladder fuels, Dropmore Scarlet Honeysuckle can be used safely when planted in the right place. Trained along a non-flammable structure, such as a chain-link fence, it can provide attractive screening without increasing laddering risk in the Intermediate Zone.

Cold hardy and well suited to full sun, this drought-tolerant vine can grow up to 6 m tall while remaining relatively narrow, making it a practical option for xeriscape gardens.

Learn more: https://firesmartbc.ca/plants-of-the-month/dropmore-scarlet-honeysuckle/

🖥️ that Canada has a FREE one-hour course that will teach you the ins-and-outs of how to become more resilient to wildland fire?

Start today at: https://ow.ly/E1BU50XWGg1

Winter pruning builds your wildfire resilience for spring and summer.

Fall and winter are ideal times to remove dead plant materials, prune low-hanging branches at least two metres off the ground, and keep branches away from your roof. That’s because trees are dormant, and it’s easier to see their structure for proper cuts.

For more FireSmart tips, visit: https://begins-at-home-guide.firesmartbc.ca