I’m pleased to announce that CFA’s new Landscaping for Bushfire: Garden Design and Plant Selection publication is now publicly available on the CFA website at www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plants.
Landscaping for Bushfire offers guidance on how to design and make appropriate plant selection for gardens in high bushfire risk areas, and focuses on maintaining an effective defendable space. It is accompanied by an online Plant Selection Key which can be used to determine the flammability rating of any plant.
The publication will be a useful resource for CFA staff when talking to residents, industry or other government agencies about how to design a garden to ensure an effective defendable space.
It will be of interest to anyone working with the community to reduce bushfire risk around homes, and is particularly relevant to those working in the building and planning environment such as landscape gardeners, town planners, architects and builders.
The publication can also be used by people planning to build in high bushfire risk areas or to ‘retrofit’ gardens for those already living in these areas.
The Community Infrastructure team have developed this publication and online tool as part of CFA’s response to Recommendation 44 of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission.
Hard copies have been sent to regional offices and will also be sent to brigades as well as local councils and other government agencies over the next few weeks. We would be grateful if you could promote the publication through your internal channels.
Should you require further information or additional hard copies please call Kate Summons on (03) 9262 8858 or email landscapingforbushfire@cfa.vic.gov.au.
Thanks,
Andrew Andreou
Executive Manager Community Infrastructure
Fire and Emergency Management
