Document Library
This library serves as a resource for homeowners and municipalities looking for guidance. It includes up to date information on home hardening, wildfire preparedness, forest development, scientific research supporting new methods, as well as examples of successful practices and implementation.
Urban Core
CAL FIRE
Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation: Building in the Wildland
CAL FIRE
Low-Cost Retrofit List
CAL FIRE
Pre-Fire Management
CAL FIRE
Prepare for Wildfire: Defensible Space
CAL FIRE
Wildfire Is Coming. Are You Ready?
California Department of Water Resources
Save Our Water, Save Our Trees
California Native Plant Society
CalScape California Native Plant Gardening Guide
Accessed September 13, 2022.
California ReLeaf
Save Our Water and Our Trees
Circle 3
Tree Care Guides and Tips
Circle 3
Tree Planting Guide
City of Oakland Public Works
How to Measure a Tree
Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire
Working with Communities to Reduce Wildfire Risks Through Improved Land Use Planning
Firesafe Marin
Plant & Tree Spacing
Firesafe Marin
Prepare Yourself: Find Out How to Prepare Yourself and Your Home For Wildfire
Firesafe Marin
Topography: Plant Spacing Affected by Slope
Global Forest Watch
Tree Cover Loss in California
Accessed on June 6, 2022.
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Protect Your Property from Wildfire
Joye, Kathi, Master Gardener
Dogwoods
Kondo, Michelle, Bernadette Hohl, SeungHoon Han, Charles Branas. 2016.
Effects of Greening and Community Reuse of Vacant Lots on Crime
Urban Studies 53, no 15 (2016): 3279-3295. Accessed May 2, 2022.
Kondo, Michelle, Natalie Mueller, Dexter H. Locke, Lara A. Roman, David Rojas-Rueda, Leah H. Schinasi, Mireia Gascon, Mark J. Nieuwenhuijsen. 2020.
Health Impact Assessment of Philadelphia’s 2025 Tree Canopy Cover Goals
Lancet Planet Health 4, (2020): 149-157. Accessed May 2, 2o22.
Los Angeles Urban Research Center
Los Angeles Urban Forest Equity Assessment Report
National Fire Protection Association
Firewise USA: Residents Reducing Wildfire Risk
NFPA
Wildfire Research Fact Sheet: Immediate (Noncombustible) Zone
Nowak, David J., Eric J. Greenfield.
Tree and Impervious Cover Change in U.S. Cities
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 11 (2012): 21-30. Accessed May 2, 2022.
Pacific Northwest Extension Publication: Oregon State U., Washington State U., U. of Idaho.
Fire-Resistant Plants for Home Landscapes: Selecting plants that may reduce your risk from wildfire
Piana, Max, Clara Pregitzer, Richard Hallett. 2021.
Advancing Management of Urban Forested Natural Areas: Toward an Urban Silviculture?
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. Accessed September 1, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2389.
Pollinator Friendly Plants
Quarles, Stephen, et. al. 2010.
Home Survival In Wildfire-Prone Areas: Building Materials and Design Considerations
UC Agricultural and Natural Resources. UC Peer Reviewed, no. 8393 (May).
Restaino, Christina, Susan Kocher, Nicole Shaw, Steven Hawks, Carlie Murphy, and Steven L. Quarles. 2020.
Wildfire Home Retrofit Guide: How to Harden Homes Against Wildfire
University of Nevada, Reno Extension, University of California Cooperative Extension, CAL FIRE. Accessed May 2, 2022.
Sacramento Tree Foundation
Lessons Learned from the Last Drought
Sacramento Tree Foundation
Watering Trees
Santa Clara Valley Water News
Keeping Trees Healthy During A Drought
Save Our Water
Save Our Water and Our Trees
Shore, Teri. 2021.
The Critical Roles of Greenbelts In Wildfire Resilience
Greenbelt Alliance. Accessed June 3, 2022.
University of California Cooperative Extension
S.A.F.E. Landscapes: Southern California Guidebook; Sustainable and Fire-Safe Landscapes in the Wildland Urban Interface
University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
The Combustibility of Landscape Mulches
USDA FS
How do you make a city greener? Teach the children smart agriculture.
USDA FS
Ten-Year Urban Forest Action Plan
USDA FS
Urban Forest Connections: Building Workforce Equity and Community Capacity through Pre-Apprenticeship Program
Wildfire Risk To Communities
Explore Risk: View interactive charts and maps
Urban Wildland
Association of Bay Area Governments
Wildfires— Preservation & Protection of Homes: Land Use Planning in the WUI
CAL FIRE
California Forest Improvement Program User’s Guide
CAL FIRE
Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation
CAL FIRE
Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation: Building in the Wildland
CAL FIRE
Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation: Land Use Planning
CAL FIRE
Fuels Reduction Guide
CAL FIRE
Low-Cost Retrofit List
CAL FIRE
Pre-Fire Management
CAL FIRE
Prepare for Wildfire: Defensible Space
CAL FIRE, 2019. Accessed July 7, 2022.
CAL FIRE
Wildfire Is Coming. Are You Ready?
California Department of Water Resources
Save Our Water: Save Our Trees
California Department of Water Resources. Public Affairs Office. Creative Services Branch. 2021.
California’s Wildfire and Forest Action Plan, 1-84.
Forest Management Task Force. Accessed March 5, 2022.
California Native Plant Society
CalScape California Native Plant Gardening Guide
Accessed September 13, 2022.
California ReLeaf
Save Our Water and Our Trees
California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force
California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force
Private Landowner Assistance
California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force
Wildland-Urban Interface Planning Guide: Examples and Best Practices for California Communities
Circle 3
Tree Care Guides and Tips
Circle 3
Tree Planting Guide
City of Oakland Public Works
How to Measure a Tree
Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire
Working with communities to reduce wildfire risks through improved land use planning
El Dorado Resource Conservation District
Performance of Fire Adapted 50 Fuel Treatment Units During the Caldor Fire
FireSafe Marin
Plant & Tree Spacing
FireSafe Marin
Prepare Yourself: Find out how to prepare yourself and your home for wildfire
FireSafe Marin
Topography: Plant Spacing Affected by Slope
Global Forest Watch
Tree Cover Loss In California
Accessed on June 6, 2022.
Greer, Brin. Resource Conservation District of Tehama County
Forest & Water Resources; A Sound Investment to Safeguard Tehama County
Headwaters Economics
Library of Trails Benefits
IBHS
Suburban Wildfire Adaptation Roadmaps: A path to coexisting with wildfires
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Protect Your Property from Wildfire
Jones, G. M., H. A. Kramer, W. J. Berigan, S. A. Whitmore, R. J. Gutierrez. 2020.
Megafire Causes Persistent Loss of an Old-Forest Species
Animal Conservation 24, (December): 925-936. Accessed May 2, 2022. doi:10.1111/acv.12697
Jones, Gavin, Alisa Kayser, Leroy Westerling, Jonathan Baldwin, John Keane, Sarah Sawyer, John Clare, Zachariah Peery. 2021.
Forest Restoration Limits Megafires and Supports Species Conservation Under Climate Change
The Ecological Society of America; Front Ecol Environ: 1-7. Accessed May 2, 2022. doi:10.1002/fee.2450.
Jones, Gavin, Berry Brosi, Jason Evans, Isabel Gottlieb, Xingwen Loy, Mauricio Nunez-Rogueiro, Holly Ober, Elizabeth Pienaar, Rajeev Pillay, Kathryn Pisarello, Lora Smith, Robert Fletcher Jr.. 2022.
Conserving Alpha and Beta Diversity in Wood-Production Landscapes
Conservation Biology: 1-15. Accessed May 2, 2022. doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13872.
Joye, Kathi, Master Gardener
Dogwoods
Kantor, Sylvia, Sean Parks, Jack Triepke, Kimberley Davis. 2022.
How a Forest Disappears: Conversion of Forest to Nonforest Vegetation Following Wildfire
USDA: Rocky Mountain Research Station; Science You Can Use 52, (January/February 2022): 1-9. Accessed May 2, 2022.
Knapp, Eric, Yana Valachovic, Stephen Quarles, Nels Johnson. 2021.
Housing Arrangement and Vegetation Factors Associated With Single-Family Home Survival In the 2018 Camp Fire, California
Fire Ecology 17: 1-19. Accessed May 2, 2022. doi.org/10.1186/s42408-021-00117-0.
Kondo, Michelle, Bernadette Hohl, SeungHoon Han, Charles Branas. 2016.
Effects of Greening and Community Reuse of Vacant Lots On Crime
Urban Studies 53, no. 15 (2016): 3279-3295. Accessed May 2, 2022.
Kondo, Michelle C., Natalie Mueller, Dexter H. Locke, Lara A. Roman, David Rojas-Rueda, Leah H. Schinasi, Mireia Gascon, Mark J. Nieuwenhuijsen. 2020.
Health Impact Assessment of Philadelphia’s 2025 Tree Canopy Cover Goals
Lancet Planet Health 4, (2020): 149-57. Accessed May 2, 2022.
Kuta, Sara. Smithsonian Magazine
U.S. Will Plant One Billion Trees to Combat Climate Change
Los Angeles Urban Research Center
Los Angeles Urban Forest Equity Assessment Report
Lundquist, Jessica, Susan Dickerson-Lange, James Lutz, Nicoleta Cristea. 2013.
Lower Forest Density Enhances Snow Retention in Regions With Warmer Winters: A Global Framework Developed From Plot-Scale Observations and Modeling
Water Resources Research 49: 6356-6370. Accessed May 2, 2022. Doi: 10.1002/wrcr.20504.
National Fire Protection Association
Firewise USA: Residents Reducing Wildfire Risk
NFPA
Wildfire Research Fact Sheet: Immediate (Noncombustible) Zone
Nowak, David J., Eric J. Greenfield.
Tree and Impervious Cover Change in U.S. Cities
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 11 (2012): 21-30. Accessed May 2, 2022.
Pacific Northwest Extension Publication: Oregon State U., Washington State U., U. of Idaho
Fire-Resistant Plants for Home Landscapes: Selecting plants that may reduce your risk from wildfire
Pollinator Friendly Plants
Quarles, Stephen, et. al. 2010.
Home Survival In Wildfire-Prone Areas: Building Materials and Design Considerations
UC Agricultural and Natural Resources. UC Peer Reviewed, no. 8393 (May).
Restaino, Christina, Susan Kocher, Nicole Shaw, Steven Hawks, Carlie Murphy, and Steven L. Quarles. 2020.
Wildfire Home Retrofit Guide: How to Harden Homes Against Wildfire
University of Nevada, Reno Extension, University of California Cooperative Extension, CAL FIRE. Accessed May 2, 2022.
Sacramento Tree Foundation
Lessons Learned from the Last Drought
Sacramento Tree Foundation
Watering Trees
Santa Clara Valley Water News
Keeping Trees Healthy During A Drought
Save Our Water
Save Our Water and Our Trees
Shore, Teri. 2021.
The Critical Roles of Greenbelts In Wildfire Resilience
Greenbelt Alliance. Accessed June 3, 2022.
Tehama County
Voluntary Oak Woodland Management Plan
UCANR
Fire Resources and Information
University of California Cooperative Extension
S.A.F.E. Landscapes: Southern California Guidebook; Sustainable and Fire-Safe Landscapes in the Wildland Urban Interface
University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
The Combustibility of Landscape Mulches
USDA FS
Forest Management Handbook for Small-Parcel Landowners in the Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascade Range
USDA FS
How do you make a city greener? Teach the children smart agriculture.
USDA FS
Ten-Year Urban Forest Action Plan
USDA FS.
Urban Forest Connections—Building Workforce Equity and Community Capacity through Pre-Apprenticeship Program
Varhola, Andres, Nicholas Coops, Markus Weiler, Dan Moore. 2010.
Forest Canopy Effects on Snow Accumulation and Ablation: An Integrative Review of Empirical Results
Journal of Hydrology: Elsevier 392: 219-233. Accessed May 3, 2022. Doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.08.009.
Wildfire Risk To Communities
Explore Risk: View interactive charts and maps
Forested Wildland
CAL FIRE
California Forest Improvement Program User’s Guide
CAL FIRE
Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation
CAL FIRE
Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation: Building in the Wildland
CAL FIRE
Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation: Land Use Planning
CAL FIRE
Fuels Reduction Guide
CAL FIRE
Low-Cost Retrofit List
CAL FIRE
Pre-Fire Management
CAL FIRE
Prepare for Wildfire: Defensible Space
CAL FIRE, 2019. Accessed July 7, 2022.
CAL FIRE
Wildfire Is Coming. Are You Ready?
California Department of Water Resources. Public Affairs Office. Creative Services Branch. 2021.
California’s Wildfire and Forest Action Plan, 1-84.
Forest Management Task Force. Accessed March 5, 2022.
California Native Plant Society
CalScape California Native Plant Gardening Guide
Accessed September 13, 2022.
California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force
California’s Strategic Plan for Expanding The Use of Beneficial Fire
City of Oakland Public Works
How to Measure a Tree
Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire
Working with Communities to Reduce Wildfire Risks Through Improved Land Use Planning
El Dorado Resource Conservation District
Performance of Fire Adapted 50 Fuel Treatment Units During the Caldor Fire
FireSafe Marin
Plant & Tree Spacing
FireSafe Marin
Prepare Yourself: Find out how to prepare yourself and your home for wildfire
FireSafe Marin
Topography: Plant Spacing Affected by Slope
Global Forest Watch
Tree Cover Loss In California
Accessed on June 6, 2022.
Greer, Brin. Resource Conservation District of Tehama County.
Forest & Water Resources; A Sound Investment to Safeguard Tehama County
Headwaters Economics
Library of Trails Benefits
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Protect Your Property from Wildfire
Jones, G. M., H. A. Kramer, W. J. Berigan, S. A. Whitmore, R. J. Gutierrez. 2020.
Megafire Causes Persistent Loss of an Old-Forest Species
Animal Conservation 24, (December): 925-936. Accessed May 2, 2022. doi:10.1111/acv.12697.
Jones, Gavin, Alisa Kayser, Leroy Westerling, Jonathan Baldwin, John Keane, Sarah Sawyer, John Clare, Zachariah Peery. 2021.
Forest Restoration Limits Megafires and Supports Species Conservation Under Climate Change
The Ecological Society of America; Front Ecol Environ: 1-7. Accessed May 2, 2022. doi:10.1002/fee.2450.
Jones, Gavin, Berry Brosi, Jason Evans, Isabel Gottlieb, Xingwen Loy, Mauricio Nunez-Rogueiro, Holly Ober, Elizabeth Pienaar, Rajeev Pillay, Kathryn Pisarello, Lora Smith, Robert Fletcher Jr.. 2022.
Conserving Alpha and Beta Diversity in Wood-Production Landscapes
Conservation Biology: 1-15. Accessed May 2, 2022. doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13872.
Joye, Kathi, Master Gardener
Dogwoods
Kantor, Sylvia, Sean Parks, Jack Triepke, Kimberley Davis. 2022.
How a Forest Disappears: Conversion of Forest to Nonforest Vegetation Following Wildfire
USDA: Rocky Mountain Research Station; Science You Can Use 52, (January/February 2022): 1-9. Accessed May 2, 2022.
Knapp, Eric, Yana Valachovic, Stephen Quarles, Nels Johnson. 2021.
Housing Arrangement and Vegetation Factors Associated With Single-Family Home Survival In the 2018 Camp Fire, California
Fire Ecology 17: 1-19. Accessed May 2, 2022. doi.org/10.1186/s42408-021-00117-0.
Kuta, Sara. Smithsonian Magazine
U.S. Will Plant One Billion Trees to Combat Climate Change
Lundquist, Jessica, Susan Dickerson-Lange, James Lutz, Nicoleta Cristea. 2013.
Lower Forest Density Enhances Snow Retention in Regions With Warmer Winters: A Global Framework Developed From Plot-Scale Observations and Modeling
Water Resources Research 49: 6356-6370. Accessed May 2, 2022. Doi: 10.1002/wrcr.20504.
National Fire Protection Association
Firewise USA: Residents Reducing Wildfire Risk
NFPA
Wildfire Research Fact Sheet: Immediate (Noncombustible) Zone
Pacific Northwest Extension Publication: Oregon State U., Washington State U., U. of Idaho
Fire-Resistant Plants for Home Landscapes: Selecting plants that may reduce your risk from wildfire
Pollinator Friendly Plants
Quarles, Stephen, et. al. 2010.
Home Survival In Wildfire-Prone Areas: Building Materials and Design Considerations
UC Agricultural and Natural Resources. UC Peer Reviewed, no. 8393 (May).
Restaino, Christina, Susan Kocher, Nicole Shaw, Steven Hawks, Carlie Murphy, and Steven L. Quarles. 2020.
Wildfire Home Retrofit Guide: How to Harden Homes Against Wildfire
University of Nevada, Reno Extension, University of California Cooperative Extension, CAL FIRE. Accessed May 2, 2022.
Santa Clara Valley Water News
Keeping Trees Healthy During A Drought
Save Our Water
Save Our Water and Our Trees
Shore, Teri. 2021.
The Critical Roles of Greenbelts In Wildfire Resilience
Greenbelt Alliance. Accessed June 3, 2022.
Tehama County
Voluntary Oak Woodland Management Plan
UCANR
Fire Resources and Information
University of California Cooperative Extension
S.A.F.E. Landscapes: Southern California Guidebook; Sustainable and Fire-Safe Landscapes in the Wildland Urban Interface
University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
The Combustibility of Landscape Mulches
USDA FS
Forest Management Handbook for Small-Parcel Landowners in the Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascade Range
Varhola, Andres, Nicholas Coops, Markus Weiler, Dan Moore. 2010.
Forest Canopy Effects on Snow Accumulation and Ablation: An Integrative Review of Empirical Results
Journal of Hydrology: Elsevier 392: 219-233. Accessed May 3, 2022. Doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.08.009.
Wildfire Risk To Communities
Explore Risk: View interactive charts and maps
Bibliography
California Department of Water Resources. Public Affairs Office. Creative Services Branch. 2021. California’s Wildfire and Forest Action Plan, 1-84. Forest Management Task Force. Accessed March 5, 2022. https://fmtf.fire.ca.gov/.
CAL FIRE. Prepare for Wildfire: Defensible Space. CAL FIRE, 2019. Accessed July 7, 2022. https://www.readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/get-ready/defensible-space/.
Global Forest Watch. “Tree Cover Loss In California”. Accessed on June 6, 2022. www.globalforestwatch.org.
Jones, G. M., H. A. Kramer, W. J. Berigan, S. A. Whitmore, R. J. Gutierrez. 2020. “Megafire Causes Persistent Loss of an Old-Forest Species”. Animal Conservation 24, (December): 925-936. Accessed May 2, 2022. doi:10.1111/acv.12697.
Jones, Gavin, Berry Brosi, Jason Evans, Isabel Gottlieb, Xingwen Loy, Mauricio Nunez-Rogueiro, Holly Ober, Elizabeth Pienaar, Rajeev Pillay, Kathryn Pisarello, Lora Smith, Robert Fletcher Jr.. 2022. “Conserving Alpha and Beta Diversity in Wood-Production Landscapes”. Conservation Biology: 1-15. Accessed May 2, 2022. doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13872.
Jones, Gavin, Alisa Kayser, Leroy Westerling, Jonathan Baldwin, John Keane, Sarah Sawyer, John Clare, Zachariah Peery. 2021. “Forest Restoration Limits Megafires and Supports Species COnservation Under CLimate Change”. The Ecological Society of America; Front Ecol Environ: 1-7. Accessed May 2, 2022. doi:10.1002/fee.2450.
Kantor, Sylvia, Sean Parks, Jack Triepke, Kimberley Davis. 2022. “How a Forest Disappears: Conversion of Forest to Nonforest Vegetation Following Wildfire.” USDA: Rocky Mountain Research Station; Science You Can Use 52, (January/February 2022): 1-9. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://www.fs.usda.gov/rmrs/science-you-can-use.
Knapp, Eric, Yana Valachovic, Stephen Quarles, Nels Johnson. 2021. “Housing Arrangement and Vegetation Factors Associated With Single-Family Home Survival In the 2018 Camp Fire, California”. Fire Ecology 17: 1-19. Accessed May 2, 2022. doi.org/10.1186/s42408-021-00117-0.
Kondo, Michelle C., Natalie Mueller, Dexter H. Locke, Lara A. Roman, David Rojas-Rueda, Leah H. Schinasi, Mireia Gascon, Mark J. Nieuwenhuijsen. 2020. “Health Impact Assessment of Philadelphia’s 2025 Tree Canopy Cover Goals.” Lancet Planet Health 4, (2020): 149-57. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(20)30058-9/fulltext.
Kondo, Michelle, Bernadette Hohl, SeungHoon Han, Charles Branas. 2016. “Effects of Greening and Community Reuse of Vacant Lots On Crime.” Urban Studies 53, no. 15 (2016): 3279-3295. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0042098015608058.
Lundquist, Jessica, Susan Dickerson-Lange, James Lutz, Nicoleta Cristea. 2013. “Lower Forest Density Enhances Snow Retention in Regions With Warmer Winters: A Global Framework Developed From Plot-Scale Observations and Modeling”. Water Resources Research 49: 6356-6370. Accessed May 2, 2022. Doi: 10.1002/wrcr.20504.
Nowak, David J., Eric J. Greenfield, “Tree and Impervious Cover Change in U.S. Cities,” Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 11 (2012): 21-30. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/40114.
Restaino, Christina, Susan Kocher, Nicole Shaw, Steven Hawks, Carlie Murphy, and Steven L. Quarles. 2020. Wildfire Home Retrofit Guide: How to Harden Homes Against Wildfire. University of Nevada, Reno Extension, University of California Cooperative Extension, CAL FIRE. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://www.readyforwildfire.org/wp-content/uploads/Wildfire_Home_Retrfit_Guide-1.26.21.pdf.
Shore, Teri. 2021. The Critical Roles of Greenbelts In Wildfire Resilience. Greenbelt Alliance. Accessed June 3, 2022. https://www.greenbelt.org/wp-content/uploads/edd/2021/06/The-Critical-Role-of-Greenbelts-in-Wildfire-Resilience.pdf.
Varhola, Andres, Nicholas Coops, Markus Weiler, Dan Moore. 2010. “Forest Canopy Effects on Snow Accumulation and Ablation: An Integrative Review of Empirical Results”. Journal of Hydrology: Elsevier 392: 219-233. Accessed May 3, 2022. Doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.08.009.
Walsh, Dana. 2022. “Post Fire Restoration Symposium: Lessons Learned in Regenerating Post Fire Landscapes”. California Fire Science Consortium. Accessed September 11, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVUhKtXxd84