SANTA LUCIA PRESERVE DEFENSIBLE SPACE
Preparing for Wildfire on a Community Level
SANTA LUCIA PRESERVE
The 20,000-acre Preserve is a conservation community dedicated to appreciating and respecting its natural beauty, with 18,000 acres of permanently protected nature. It includes fewer than 300 families, the nonprofit Santa Lucia Conservancy , and a team of multi-talented staff.
The Preserve is in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), where structures intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels, and due to this area's history of wildfire in topographically rugged terrain, it is also in the high to very high fire hazard severity zone (HFHSZ).
BUILDING IN THE WUI
When considering building a home in the WUI, it is important to ask if it will be insurable while meeting the homeowner's standards.
The Preserve has multiple layers of wildfire protection ranging from large scale, such as interagency cooperation wildfire preplanning:
Wildfire Preplan Meeting with our local fire agencies and the Conservancy.
And roadside fuel management for safe ingress and egress:
The Conservancy implemented a 1.2 million dollar Cal Fire Grant to conduct raodside shaded fuel breaks throught the Preserve.
Ultimately, the fine-scale approach of how well the homeowner maintains their defensible space, combined with home hardening, will save individual homes.
DEFENSIBLE SPACE
When a community falls into the WUI and HFHSZ categories, they must adhere to the California state minimum requirements for maintining a defensible space ( PRC 4291 ).
The Preserve, in collaboration with the Conservancy, built upon PRC 4291 and established guidelines that were customized to its unique community and values, while increasing wildfire safety, home ignition resistance, and the natural beauty of the landscape.
LOT-SPECIFIC FUEL MANAGEMENT PLANS
Preserve-wide Fuel Management Standards were developed in 2004, with specific guidelines for treating each vegetative hapitat type to preserve the natural beauty of the landscape. Lot-specific fuel management plans (FMPs) combine these Standards with optimal defensible space regulations that go above and beyond the State minimum requirements and are customized for the outside perimeter of each home.
All new homes are required to have an FMP and the Preserve is aiming for 100% compliance as we move forward.
LOT-SPECIFIC FUEL MANAGEMENT ZONES
Santa Lucia Preserve Fuel Management Standards
NON-COMBUSTIBLE ZONE
A non-combustible zone should be maintained within a 5 foot buffer around structures. Decks are included as part of the structure.
Landscape architects are encouraged to make liberal use of hardscaping within this zone. Wood mulch is not allowed.
Embers igniting within the non-combustible zone.
This is the most critical of all the zones. Be sure to remove dead leafy debris from roof tops, gutters and beneath decks.
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Wood mulch was removed and will be replaced with gravel. Vines were removed and trees trimmed away from exposed eaves.
LANDSCAPING ZONE
Within entire landscaped area.
Approved landscaping must be designed and maintained to minimize flammability. All landscaping occurs within the Homeland area.
Unmaintained vs maintained manzanita.
All plants are flammable, therefore, must be maintained and spaced appropriately to reduce flammability.
DRIVEWAY ZONE
Within 15 to 30 feet from edge of driveway pavement.
The Driveway Zone is important to allow for safe passage and to provide a location where firefighter resources can travel and engage in fire response. The treatments required correspond to vegetation type.
GRASSLAND ZONE
To a distance of 30 ft from structures.
Because grasslands dry and become flammable at the start of every summer, grassland areas will need annual attention, typically by mowing prior to the beginning of each summer. By mowing in late spring, native grasses and wildflowers are retained and may contribute in a lower-hazard condition.
Grass was mowed, trees were limbed up and manzanita was trimmed back.
OAK SAVANNA ZONE
To a distance of 150 feet from structures.
Oak savannas consist of scattered oaks growing within a grassy understory, and both trees and grass should be maintained to provide a vertical separation between the ground and the tree canopy. According to fire behavior predictions, many areas of oak savanna are expected to produce flame lengths less than 4 feet before treatment. Mowing grass under and around trees reduces fire intensity and rate of spread of fire to an acceptable level, and diminishes the possibility that fire can climb into tree canopy. Pruning the small lower tree branches, as noted below, will reduce the possibility fire can spread into the tree crowns. Woody weed species such as French broom, poison hemlock and thistles must be completely removed annually.
The remaining piles of dead vegetation (on right), were chipped on site after this photo was taken.
OAK WOODLAND ZONE
To a distance of 150 feet from structures
Understory plants must be kept short, and small lower tree branches must be removed.
The understory of oak woodland habitat includes shade tolerant shrubs and grasslands. The goal of this standard is to maintain an existing oak woodland with a short-statured understory of herbaceous plants and shrubs, and a tree canopy at least 8 feet above the ground. An initial treatment will be required to prune smaller branches of trees up to 8 feet above the ground and to reduce density and stature of understory shrubs. After the initial treatment, annual maintenance will be needed to cut back shrub sprouts in order to maintain a maximum height of 2.5 feet.
Great example of properly pruned trees in the oak woodland zone. Note the non-combustible zone is free of leaves and other combustibles.
Properly managed oak woodland zone!
OAK/SHRUB WOODLAND ZONE
To a distance of 200 feet from structures.
The goal of the following treatment is to facilitate the conversion from a transitional woodland /shrubland vegetation type, into a more fire-safe oak woodland with an understory consisting of grass, herb or other low-growing fire-resistant plants.
A before and after comparison of implimentig a lot-specific fuel management plan at The Preserve.
CHAPARRAL ZONE
All shrubs within chaparral must be thinned or mowed within 200 feet of structures.
Chaparral composed of broad-leafed shrubs and bushes that form dense thickets, is an important habitat type on the Santa Lucia Preserve. This habitat type burns with great intensity and it poses a high fire hazard to adjacent structures. When mowed or burned woody shrubs in this habitat type resprout from the root system and require regular treatment to manage fire risk. In this vegetation type, defensible space is created by maintaining well-spaced chaparral shrubs that are short-stature, with succulent young vegetation, and no dead branches. Shrubs should not be allowed to grow above 2.5 ft height (usually 5 years or less) before being re-treated.
COASTAL SCRUB ZONE
All shrubs within coastal scrub must be thinned or mowed within 200 feet of structures.
Like chaparral, coastal scrub is an important habitat type on the Santa Lucia Preserve (SLP). Coastal scrub is comprised of a diverse mixture of native shrub species. Like most chaparral shrubs on the SLP, shrub species growing within coastal scrub habitat will stump-sprout vigorously when mowed or burned, so coastal scrub zones will need to be retreated on a regular basis.
This dense, mature coastal scrub was heavily masticated as the initial treatment.
FIREWISE BENEFITS
Some insurance providers are offering discounts for Firewise Communites such as:
- Chubb
- State Farm
- Mercury
- AAA
- USAA
- FAIR Plan
Please reach out to your insurance provider and give them a copy of your:
To learn more about the SLP Firewise Community, please check out this STORY MAP.
Emily Aiken, Preserve Fire & Fuels Management Specialist
