Originally published in Lake of the Woods Area News, Volume 54, Number 4, Fall 2024
In cottage country, with all the increases in the fire dangers and forest fires, everyone becomes very conscious of the need to protect their investment. Fire fighters can only do so much, but property owners can take steps to make their investments more resilient to fire with the landscaping they choose. This includes decisions on the type of vegetation and trees, placement and best practices.
Take advantage of lower risk conditions in fall and winter
It is best to slowly work on this throughout the years and improve it as everything grows and changes. It is also beneficial to do these activities in wet years or the fall in preparation for the next fire season. Most of the vegetation you clear will need to be hauled away or burned to remove it as a fire hazard. This is easiest and safest to do when restrictions are removed in fall or winter. Information about Ontario’s fire season and restrictions is available at ontario.ca/page/forest-fires.
Know your zones
Best practices include looking at your cottage or cabin as the investment to protect. The Immediate Zone of that investment is everything within two metres until clear zone. If you have flower beds or shrubs along the cottage, extend the immediate zone two metres beyond that. Look for hazards and combustibles within that zone, anything that would work as kindling or easily catch fire. Avoid wood or bark chips in your landscaping around the building. Put your firewood and combustible fuels away from the house or cottage and out of this immediate zone. You want as little as possible that can easily catch fire, maximizing that value protection.
The next zone is called the Intermediate Zone and comprises about 2 to 10 metres of space around your cottage. Think of this as the distance of trees falling. It is recommended to have this clear of coniferous trees at minimum and all trees if possible. Coniferous trees are usually dense with combustible needles whereas deciduous trees have natural resiliency once the canopy of moist dark green leaves fills the branches. It is also easier to spot dead areas to be trimmed away. Think of this as your fire break from the surrounding bush. Opening it up will lessen the danger to your property. Well maintained lawns can be your best protection in these areas. You can have shade trees in this area but weigh the risks and choose more fire resistant and resilient types of vegetation.
The last zone is the Extended Zone beyond 10 metres into the surrounding forest. Clearing fallen trees and reducing brush in this area will make it more fire resistant in the future and reduce the hazard. The idea is to lessen the ability of the zone to become a serious threat to your property. As time goes by, forest areas need a burn to clean out this build-up, but regular maintenance will help the forest keep it in check.
Look at plants and vegetation in each zone
We don’t want plants with fine, dry, dead material. Avoid plants with strong aromas as they will contain volatile waxes or oils. Remove those with loose papery bark. Be aware of those that create a lot of dead material. Leaves are a lot easier to clean up and rake than needles. Reducing the buildup yearly can help drastically.
We are looking for moist, supple leaves with low odour as their sap has more water. We want lower amounts of dead wood coming off these plants or easily removed material like leaves. We also want those with low resin or sap. Please avoid any of the more flammable plants within your immediate zone around the cottage and opt for more resistant and resilient plants. Those would be coniferous or less hardy trees, which would have more dead limbs or debris in or under them.
Finally look at Xeriscaping, which is landscaping that considers the water usage and hardiness of plants for your area. Much of this information can be found online. Specifically for the plants, go to firesmartbc.ca/landscaping-hub/fire-resistant-plants.
Landscaping should also consider the wildlife of the area. Do you really need fruits or berries on your property if it will draw in wildlife and create conflicts? We are all aware of what different animals eat so be aware how your choices affect what wildlife might visit your property and create mischief. Beyond damage to your property, animals can increase your fire risk with damaging hoses or reducing the integrity of your fire-resistant materials (wiring, etc.).
Consider prevailing winds and slopes
Cottages are usually along the water and uphill. This can create stronger winds from off the water to feed the flames as they burn better uphill. Those Intermediate Zones must be cleared of more combustible plants, ideally with larger open areas. This will make value protection by forest firefighters easier as they will be looking to access water when setting up pumps and sprinklers. This will also make it easier for them to get in and out. Such clearing will also simplify setting up your own pumps if you’ve decided to make that investment, and reduce damage to your lines.
Following these suggestions will not guarantee complete safety but will make the jobs of local and Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) fire fighters easier and more effective in the event of a fire. As owners, you need to balance the natural beauty of your environment with the risks those choices have. In the end, it is your choice and the level of risk you choose to accept but a little bit of awareness of prevention can help you make informed choices for your cottage and investments.
MNR has their signs on the highways and radio announcements on the fire conditions and provide regular updates at ontario.ca/page/forest-fires.