Compare and Contrast with the Boise Firewise Garden

Ever thought about what it looks like to have a #Firewise Landscape around your property? Take a look at the photos below to see the difference 8 years can make when installing a firewise landscape.

The main Firewise Garden next to the Idaho Botanical Gardens was established in 2008 (ground breaking winter of 2006/2007) and has flourished every day since. On average the garden receives 100,000 visitors and will host 10-12 groups for Firewise Landscaping classes per year.

May is Wildfire Awareness Month in Idaho and the garden will be in full bloom; so come and visit to see the variety of grasses, plants/shrubs, and trees that you can use on your property!

The Boise Firewise Garden in 2008!

The Boise Firewise Garden in the Fall of 2016!

Idaho Firewise on Instagram!

Idaho Firewise is now on Instagram! Head on over to check out their new page and  follow @IdahoFirewise. Various types of information will be posted from education/training videos, Firewise landscape classes, and photos of countless varieties of Firewise plants.

There are Firewise gardens throughout Idaho so plan to visit one of them this spring/summer near you.

• Boise (4 locations), Twin Falls, Pocatello

For more information on Idaho Firewise visit these sites:

Website: http://idahofirewise.org/
Twitter and Instagram: @idahofirewise

Partnership in Pocatello Creates Defensible Space for Homeowners

Residents in Johnny Creek should feel a little safer going into fire season thanks to a cooperative effort by the Idaho Falls District BLM and High Country Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Area, Inc.  A cost-share project between the two agencies provided funding for contract work that removed existing juniper trees and then applied native seed to the treated ground.  Fuels were removed around three homes last fall, and so far seven more homes are scheduled for this summer.  The homes all lie directly adjacent to one another, thus creating larger areas of defensible space than a single homeowner could.

The property in the foreground was treated last fall.  The property downhill will be treated this summer.

One of the homes treated last fall belongs to Chris Stevens, who said she was surprised she was even able to get homeowner's insurance when she purchased the home six years ago.  Since then, she estimates she has removed more than 250 juniper trees from her property.  As a reward, she saw numerous wildflowers blooming this spring, flowers that now had plenty of sunlight to grow and more water without the competing trees.

Homeowner Chris Stevens talks to KPVI Channel 6 about the project.

"It's not just my house," Stevens said about the work completed so far.  "Whatever I do for my house benefits my neighbors.... and the whole city.  We're saving tax payer money by decreasing the fuels available to a wildland fire." 

Stevens added that removing so much fuel is not easy or cheap, adding,"I can't say enough about how glad I am that this program exists."  As the chair of the Johnny Creek Firewise Community, Stevens is actively reaching out to her neighbors, encouraging them to create defensible space around their homes and to take advantage of programs that offer financial assistance or other incentives.

Twin Falls District Firewise Garden Open House CANCELLED Due to weather

The Twin Falls District Firewise Garden Open House has been  cancelled due to extreme weather conditions. The Garden continues to high light Firewise landscaping practices and is open to the public 7 days a week. The garden is free to the public. 

The Firewise Landscaping presentation, at Webb Nursery in Twin Falls, is still taking place tomorrow, May 21st, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 

For more information contact,  Ryan Berlin or Kelsey Brizendine at 208.308.5591

Twin Falls District Wildfire Awareness Month Events Plan. Prepare. Prevent.

To help homeowners plan and prepare for the upcoming fire season, the Twin Falls District  BLM and Resource Conservation & Development will host an open house at the CSI Breckenridge Firewise Garden, Friday, May 20, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. This open house will highlight examples of Firewise Landscaping.  Firewise experts will also share tips on how to prevent the spread of wildfire.

Additionally, a Firewise presentation will be given at Webb Nursery in Twin Falls. Firewise expert, Lorraine Simonson of the RC&D, will present to homeowners the importance of Firewise Landscaping, tips on how to get started and plants best suited to prevent the spread of wildfire. This event will take place Saturday, May 21, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at Webb Nursery. Both events are free to the public. 

For more information, contact Kelsey Brizendine, 208-732-7315 or 208-308-5991.

Oregon Trail 4th Graders to Grow Firewise Plants

Planting Day will teach the importance of using Firewise plants

SHOSHONE, ID - The Twin Falls District Bureau of Land Management along with the Mid-Snake Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) and Oregon Trail 4^th Graders invite members of the media to a planting day. The planting event will take place at Auger Falls, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.  on Friday, May 13.

Students from Oregon Trail Elementary School spent the last several months growing a variety of Firewise plants and learning how each plant works to prevent the spread of wildfire. Each student was given one species of plant to grow and report back to their classmates about its growth and role in Firewise Landscaping.

“After months of growing and nurturing the plants, the students are excited to have the opportunity to plant them. They look forward to showing their friends and family how well their plants grew,” saidMid-Snake RC&D Fire Educator, Lorraine Simonson.  

During the event on Friday, approximately 120 4^th graders will tour the CSI Firewise Garden before heading to Auger Falls to plant a combination of Lambs Ear, Soapwart, and Penstemon plants.

For more information, contact Ryan Berlin, Fire Information Officer 208-308-5991.

Eastern Idaho Observes Wildfire Awareness Month

As part of Wildfire Awareness Month, Idaho Falls District BLM will be hosting or participating in a number of activities across Eastern Idaho between May 9 and 14.  Events that are free and open to the public include:

• Wednesday, May 11 -Idaho Falls Public Library, 9:30 AM and 10:30 AM
  • Read with a Firefighter!  BLM firefighters will be attending Story Time to read books about Fire Safety.
    

• Friday, May 13 - Zoo Idaho, Pocatello, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
  •  At Zoo Idaho’s Endangered Species Day event, BLM staff will be one of several booths highlighting the sage grouse and their importance to the sagebrush ecosystem.
    

• Saturday, May 14 - Town & Country Gardens, Idaho Falls, 10:00 AM
  • The BLM and Idaho Firewise are hosting a one-hour educational class to teach homeowners about defensible space and landscaping that is both beautiful and fire resistant. 

Hens and chicks are fire resistant, require little water, and
are an example of the kind of plant that can help make your home Firewise.

During the month of May, Idaho BLM is encouraging homeowners and residents to PLAN, PREPARE, and PREVENT as wildland fire season approaches. 

PLAN on becoming Firewise by identifying and mitigating the hazards around your home.  Visit www.idahofirewise.org for help.

 

PREPARE by creating survivable space to protect your home.

 

PREVENT wildfires by using caution with equipment that can cause a spark.


For more information on wildland fire prevention and community preparedness, visit www.idahofirewise.org, or www.fireadaptedorg.  And follow @BLMIdahoFire on Twitter for updates on events, tips for fire preparedness, and current fire information.

Firewise Landscaping classes scheduled for the Boise area

Come out to join the BLM-Boise District and Idaho Firewise to learn about Firewise landscaping!

May is -Wildfire Awareness Month- Plan. Prepare. Prevent.

Eight western governors, including Idaho’s Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter, have proclaimed May “Wildfire Awareness Month.  Throughout the month, residents are encouraged to learn how to better protect their homes and communities from wildfire, and how they can help firefighters reduce the number of human-caused fires. In Idaho, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has chosen to focus on the theme: “Plan-Prepare-Prevent.”

These three simple words are meant to serve as helpful reminders for the public. Plan on becoming Firewise by identifying the hazards around your home. Prepare by creating survivable space to protect your home. And Prevent wildfires this summer by using caution with anything that can cause a spark.

Multiple activities are planned across the state to help educate and prepare residents for the upcoming fire season. These activities include informative tours at Firewise gardens and educational classes at selected nurseries. These tours and presentations will be offered free of charge by Idaho BLM and Idaho Firewise.

Boise:

·         May 6^th - North End Organic Nursery, educational presentation begins at 6:00 PM

·         May 7^th - Firewise Garden Open House/Tour at the Idaho Botanical Gardens from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM

·         May 21^st - 36 Street Garden Center, educational presentation begins at 11:00 AM

·         May 25^th - Farwest Landscape, educational presentation begin at 6:00 PM

Eastern Idaho:

·         May 13^th - Firewise Garden Demonstration at the Zoo in Pocatello, Idaho, time TBD

·         May 14^{th -} Town & County Garden Center in Idaho Falls,  8:00 AM to 1:00 PM, educational presentation begins at 10:00 AM

Twin Falls:

·         May 20^th - Firewise Garden Open House/Tour at the CSI Breckenridge Endowment Farm from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

·         May 21^st - Webb Nursery,  11:00 AM to 3:00 PM , educational presentation begins at 11:00 AM

Northern Idaho:

·         May 24^th - Green Things Nursery in Orofino, educational booth will be available starting at 3:00 PM to 5:30 PM

·         May 25^th - Green Acres Nursery in Grangeville, educational booth will be available starting at 11:00 AM  to 1:00 PM

Additionally, the National Fire Protection Association identified May 7 as National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day.

For more information on wildland fire prevention and community preparedness, visit www.idahofireinfo.blogspot.com, www.idahofirewise.org, or http://fireadpated.org/. And follow @BLMIdahoFire on Twitter for updates on events, tips for fire preparedness, and current fire information.

Firewise Train-the-Trainer Course @ the Clearwater Fire Academy - March 19th and 20th, 2016

Destructive wildfires affect virtually every part of the U.S. Last year Idaho saw devastating fires where many homes were lost.  There are simple and often inexpensive ways to make homes safer from wildfire. This Train-The-Trainer class will provide you with a good understanding of wildfire hazards and mitigation strategies that homeowners can effectively use to lower the wildfire risk and losses to their homes. After this class your department will be able to perform home ignition zone hazard assessments and teach communities on how to become a Firewise Community. This class is tailored towards fire department Chiefs, Captains, prevention personnel and community planners.

Gary Marshall began his Firefighter career during the summer of 1977 as a seasonal paid firefighter.  Marshall retired from his full time career position in 2012 for the City of Bend, Oregon as their Deputy Fire Chief and Fire Marshal ending his 35 year fire service career.

Marshall is very active in statewide fire prevention committees and organizations. Some of the positions he held during his career were: President of the Central Oregon Firefighters Association; President of the Oregon Fire Marshals Association; Chair of the Central Oregon Fire Prevention Cooperative; Executive Board Chair for Keep Oregon Green; Marshall was honored with two 3-year term appointments by two Oregon Governor’s on their Fire Service Policy Council and was Chair of the Council during his last term. 

Currently, Marshall is involved with these Oregon wildfire mitigation programs:

National Fire Protection Association Firewise Communities USA program, Deschutes County “FireFree” program, Oregon Senate Bill 360 Classification Committee and appointment to Deschutes County Project Wildfire member now a “Fire Adapted Community”.

Marshall is the recipient of the National “Bronze Smokey Bear” award for his efforts to protect communities from wildfire, and the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s prestigious “Golden Sparky” award for his local and state fire prevention programs.

Marshall recently finished his tenure as the Regional Firewise Advisor for Alaska, Nebraska, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming. 

Currently Marshall is a fire safety consultant and employed as the Community Risk and Fire Safety Manager for the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District.  When he is not in the office he is on the road as one of the four national instructors teaching NFPA’s “Assessing Residential Wildfire Hazards in the Home Ignition Zone” classes to fire service professionals and other community leaders

Clearwater Fire Academy Registration

Twin Falls District Fire and Aviation Foster Great Learning Opportunity for Students:

The Agriscience class at Oakley High School is one of four school programs in the Magic Valley participating in an educational Firewise growing program. Throughout the school year, students learn about fire ecology, fire science, the sagebrush steppe ecosystem, and the importance of Firewise landscaping and good practices of a Firewise community. In addition to the classroom work, students also plant and nurture the vegetation used in Firewise programs.  

Once the Firewise seedlings reach maturity, the students donate them to local Firewise Communities to improve their landscaping and help protect their homes. Additionally, the students had the opportunity to work alongside BLM’s Fuel Specialist and Fire Ecologist to plant seedlings in wildlife tracts around the District.

This fall, 12 Oakley High School students planted 1,000 sagebrush seedlings grown in their nursery in a wildlife tract just outside of Oakley. Each of the students was responsible for growing and caring for the plants throughout the school year, so when it came time to plant, they all volunteered to set the seedlings in the ground.

“The purpose of the program is to teach the students about Firewise and Fire Ecology, but they gain so much more than that. They learn about caring for the land, and how much work goes into growing things. It gives them a unique perspective into the work the land managers do and the struggles they face.”  Lorraine Simonson, Firewise Coordinator. “We have never had such a large group of students volunteer to help plant! These students take a lot of pride in their work and what they accomplish.” (Contact: Kelsey Dehoney, 208-732-7315) 

Tamarack Resort Firewise Demonstration Landscape

 Tamarack Environmental Protection Association (TEPA) applied for and received grant funds from Idaho Firewise (IDFW) August 21, 2014. The grant was used to help cover costs associated with plant materials that were used in a Firewise demonstration landscape adjacent to the Tamarack Resort emergency services building located in the West Mountain area of Long Valley Idaho.

Idaho Firewise Southern Idaho Project Manager Brett Van Paepeghem met with Tamarack representatives Jan West and Cathy Dvorak last fall to assess the site and make Firewise plant species recommendations. Over this summer Alpha Nursery from Cascade completed the installation of the landscape and signage relating to wildfire issues has been installed. The project now serves as an educational demonstration for local residents and visitors to the resort.