Amid destructive fires across Southern California, landscape professionals will play a pivotal role in preventing similar situations from happening again.

At the time of publication, the Palisades Fire had burned 23,713 acres in ten days and was at 31% containment while the Eaton Fire had burned 14,117 acres, was 65% contained, and had burned more than 12,000 structures.

 
According to CalFire, the Eaton Fire - which has burned over 7,000 structures and taken 16 lives - is the second most destructive California Wildfire below the 2018 Camp Fire, while the Palisades fire takes the fourth slot as it burned over 5,000 structures and killed eight so far. Northernly facing wind have also led to multiple fires across Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains.

Owner of California's Own Native Landscape Design, Greg Rubin told LASN that defensible fire zones are important, and that hydration should be prioritized over plant selection when looking to protect structures. Rubin also went on to say that thinning vegetation by 40 to 50% is a strong alternative to clearing.

Wildfire specialists, firefighting officials, and politicians are divided on how to best prevent these fires as some officials suggest that vegetation clearing would have helped slow the blazes while others have said that improving water availability could have mitigated the fires, others have also pointed to climate concerns, however as the "perfect storm of fire weather" overtook the area - high offshore winds, low-humidity, and abundant fuel resulting from overgrowth - there isn't necessarily a perfect widespread solution or even one such problem to blame.

"Fires have roamed California for millions of years. And then we put homes in their historic pathways. If we are to survive, we need to become native and adapt," said Douglas Kent, author of "Firescaping: Protecting Your Home with a Fire-Resistant Landscape," educator, and California landscape professional, "We need to be that fire animal year around, diligently maintaining fire-hardened structures, removing dead and dying vegetation, and ensuring safe and swift access. We must also learn how to evacuate, ensuring that when we leave, our properties are buttoned up to the best of our abilities."

Keeping that in mind, CalFire has an Evacuation Guide that suggests that residents close windows, take down flammable window shades and curtains, move flammable items away from windows, attach garden hoses to outside taps for firefighter use and fill buckets with water to scatter around, have a ladder ready for roof access, and not leave sprinklers on, among numerous suggestions.

Additionally, the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) Executive Director, Sandra Giarde, CAE provided LASN with their recommended tips for fire prevention. Their methods come down to three core components - prepare, prevent, and protect - which should be at the forefront for landscape professionals who plan, design, install, and maintain. She also mentioned the importance of zones, proper plant material selection, and maintaining irrigation systems including regular audits.

LASN will monitor this situation as rebuilding and containment efforts continue.