Firescaping Your Home - by Adrienne Edwards & Rachel Schleiger (Paperback)

About the Book

"Destructive wildfires are becoming larger, hotter, and more frequent. Since 2000, an average of 7.1 million acres have burned across the US, more than double the average acreage that burned in the 1990s. At the same time, more people are choosing to live adjacent to fire-prone wildlands. There is currently no comprehensive guide to help homeowners minimize wildfire risks while optimizing the ecological integrity of wildland areas. Living in fire-prone landscapes should not mean that you must scrape all vegetation hundreds of feet away from structures. This book will empower readers to evaluate fire risks on their own property and take simple, actionable steps to mitigate them. The book will include specific recommendations, examples, and resources for planting and maintenance, making it an essential resource for western homeowners"--

Book Synopsis

This hardworking, actionable guide is a must-have for homeowners looking to fight the risks of wildfire spreading to their homes and property.

Wildfires are burning over longer seasons and more intensely than ever before, and everyone living in a wildland-urban interface or wildland-adjacent area should take precautionary steps to mitigate the risk of property damage. In Firescaping Your Home, Adrienne Edwards and Rachel Schleiger provide expert guidance and specific recommendations on how to harden your home against fire and create defensible space that is lush and attractive. They also provide in-depth native plant lists of hundreds of species that have evolved to coexist with fire in the West, and show how and why including these on your property sustains wildlife and can actually be your most powerful defense.

Review Quotes

"A comprehensive guide to creating a fire-safe landscape."--California Examiner

"A must-read for anyone residing in a high-risk area for wildfire. This book is necessary for our changing climate."--The American Gardener

"A 'go-to' book that can be perused when needed to help you prepare for a wildfire."--The Spokesman-Review

"Edwards and Schleiger give strategies for hardening homes, tips on creating attractive defensible space that is supportive of wildland habitat and includes a catalog of 640 fire-safe plants and resources directories."--Marin Independent Journal

"Keys to wildfire protection can be found in Firescaping Your Home...In full-color pages, the authors offer a catalog of hundreds of native plant species...they also discuss how fire behaves and how to think in terms of fire-suppression zones." --Chico Enterprise Record

"Ecologists Edwards and Schleiger debut with a solid manual on how California, Oregon, and Washington State residents can make their homes fire resistant and landscape responsibly....West Coast denizens will want to study up."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Adrienne Edwards, PhD, is a botanist, plant ecologist, garden designer, environmental consultant, and teacher. She began her botanical odyssey in the Southeast, spent time botanizing in the Midwest, and since 2006 has lived and worked in northern California. With over 30 years of experience teaching, doing environmental research, and consulting, plants continue to drive her passions. She is currently a faculty lecturer at California State University, Chico.

Rachel Schleiger, MS, is a plant ecologist who specializes in restoration ecology. She has lived in the WUI most of her life. Her family and property survived the most deadly and destructive fire on record, the 2018 Camp Fire. Over the last 3 years she has developed curriculum to teach about wildfire, both in-person and online through Butte College. She is currently a faculty lecturer at both Butte College and California State University, Chico.