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- Info
Comparing the Ignitability of Mulch Materials for a Firewise Landscape
| Date: |
2007 |
| Periodical: |
Arizona Cooperative Extension |
| Abstract: |
A Firewise landscape in Arizona may include native and non-native plants as well as a variety of mulch materials. The goal of Firewise landscaping is to prevent home ignitions by using plants and mulch to reduce the spread of fires near structures or other improvements. Appropriate plants for a particular area in Arizona vary due to the proximity to structures, the location within the landscape (such as elevation and slope), as well as temperature and moisture regimes.
Mulches are defined as any material used on the soil surface for a variety of reasons. The application of mulches to the landscape may improve the aesthetics, reduce soil moisture evaporation rates, improve the soil nutrient content over time, reduce weed competition, moderate soil temperatures, and provide cover for dust abatement.
With a wide variety of mulches available on the market, specific mulches are selected for different aesthetic and economic reasons including “eye appeal, color, size, availability, maintenance, and price”. Those that have been most popular in Arizona are: organic materials such as bark, wood chips, grass clippings, or compost; inorganic materials such as decomposed granite, rocks, or gravel; and finally synthetic sheet mulches or ground cloth, which are typically topped with an organic or inorganic mulch to hold them in place, protect them from ripping, and to hide them from view. |
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