Trail Blazing Smokey the Bear has fostered fire prevention for over 60 years, but people still know too little about firescaping to "prevent forest fires" in the urban forest. Landscape professionals, however, can answer the call by using firewise design criteria, specifying seasonal maintenance procedures, and actively educating clients.

How important is landscape fire awareness? The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) cites 1994 as one of the worst in recent years for wildfires in woodlands and rangelands. The group's Feb. 8 "Firewise Landscape Workshop" featured a broad spectrum of speakers-from US Forest Service specialists and nursery botanists to landscape and irrigation design consultants. Widely known xeriscape consultant Randall Ismay, who suggests design choices and plant selections that are mindful of climatic variations during a landscape project life, stressed maintenance aspects: "If you fight fire in the landscape after the fire starts, you're going to lose. The way to fight fire in the landscape is with good planning and good maintenance programs."

Educational materials-like the California Advisory Council and California Interagency Fire Prevention Committee's PSA (featuring actor Tom Selleck whose ranch in Santa Barbara was threatened by fire in 1994) presents "How to Protect Your Investment Against Wildfire Destruction" in layman's terms-are available to help LA's and their clients grasp key concepts. For national sources of information on wildland urban interface fire protection, contact the NFPA in Massachusetts at (617) 770-3000.