N.S. greenhouse boosts fire-resistant landscaping after 2023 wildfires
The devastating Halifax-area wildfires that occurred two years ago had a profound and lasting impact on Cathy Oulton, the owner of Bloom Greenhouse and Garden Centre in Hammonds Plains. The fires swept through the community, forcing Oulton to evacuate her business and leaving 18 of her staff members displaced from their homes.
Reflecting on the experience, Oulton described the event as very personal, emphasizing the disruption and fear that it brought to her and her team. In response to the wildfires, Oulton collaborated with Halifax Fire & Emergency on an initiative aimed at assisting homeowners in making landscaping choices that are fire-resistant.
The FireSmart program, originally developed in Alberta and later adapted in other provinces, focuses on promoting fire-resistant plants that can help reduce the risk of wildfires spreading to homes and properties. Bloom Greenhouse recently became the first in the province to implement a new tagging system for plants, guiding customers towards safer options for their landscaping needs.
In a recent information session held at the greenhouse in partnership with Halifax Fire, Kara McCurdy, the wildfire mitigation program manager with Halifax Fire, explained that the plant-tagging program was initially established in British Columbia and has since been customized for the Maritimes. McCurdy highlighted the characteristics of fire-resistant plants, such as being leafy, low-shedding, high in water content, and lacking flammable pitches and resins found in other plants.
McCurdy emphasized the importance of vegetation management around homes, citing it as the leading cause of homes being lost in past wildfires. She also cautioned against using bark mulch within 1.5 meters of a home due to the risk of spontaneous combustion.
In addition to the plant-tagging system, Halifax Fire offers free home assessments for wildfire risk to assist residents in making informed decisions about their properties. Oulton and McCurdy expressed their hope for more events and an expansion of the FireSmart program to further educate and protect communities.
Oulton reiterated the greenhouse’s commitment to helping mitigate wildfire risks by providing customers in fire-prone areas with guidance on selecting fire-resistant plants. She stressed the importance of building a plan to reduce the vulnerability of the community to future wildfires.
As Bloom Greenhouse continues to support fire-resistant landscaping efforts, Oulton and her team remain dedicated to promoting safety and resilience in the face of natural disasters.
