About
The Wildfire Defense Education and Tours Program by USGBC-LA aims to raise awareness by offering topic-specific resource guides and expert guidance. This initiative empowers our community, property owners, designers, and managers to take proactive measures in reducing wildfire risks and minimizing associated losses.
Our region now confronts a year-round fire season, which poses severe and potentially life-threatening consequences. There are actionable steps that everyone can take to safeguard their properties, mitigate fire risks in the region, and enhance the city’s resilience. Architects, builders, developers, urban planners, and landscapers all have crucial roles to fulfill.
Continue reading to learn how the green building community is actively addressing these challenges!
Download the toolkit
Download the toolkit
Discover how you can make a difference in wildfire preparedness for your property!
Goals
In our Wildfire Defense Education Program, we aim to achieve the following objectives:
- Provide education on effective strategies to fortify homes and properties against wildfires.
- Offer free access to valuable wildfire defense resources for our community.
- Organize property tours in areas at risk of wildfires.
The USGBC-LA Wildfire Defense Professional Certificate Program has been developed specifically to educate construction professionals and landscapers. It equips them with the knowledge and skills needed to strengthen homes and landscapes against wildfires. This program emphasizes the use of appropriate materials, maintenance practices, and fire-resistant design techniques proven to reduce the risk of fire damage to properties.
Our goal is to pave the way for the private sector to embrace and promote firewise best practices, fostering a cultural shift within the building industry. These training sessions leverage existing resources and tap into the expertise of advisors from various fields to raise awareness and transfer knowledge about industry-leading methods that effectively mitigate fire risks in both residential spaces and landscapes.
Check out our upcoming workshops for Construction Professionals and Landscapers! *These modules are offered once per quarter.
Each module consists of a 150-minute training session, followed by an online certification test. This certification training equips participants with practical, real-world examples and strategies for reducing the risk of wildfires.
Our property tours serve as a platform to showcase comprehensive strategies for risk reduction. These tours include the latest techniques for fortifying homes and implementing firewise landscaping practices. They are open to professionals, the general public, and residents, providing clear and substantial guidance for wildfire mitigation and safety.
Watch the recording of our Wildfire Defense Forum and Virtual Tours from the 2021 community event below to learn more about:
- The importance of location in relation to fire pathways
- Simple vs. complex design to minimize building heat traps
- Low ignition materials and sealed building envelope
- Effective defensible space
- Strategic (firewise native) plant choice and placement
- Removal of highly flammable and invasive grasses and trees
Videos:
- Thought Leadership Series: Reducing California’s Fire Risk – Tour led by Plant Prefab
- Thought Leadership Series: Reducing California’s Fire Risk – Tour led by: The Resource Conservation District of Santa Monica
- Thought Leadership Series: Reducing California’s Fire Risk – Tour led by: The Chaparral Institute
- Thought Leadership Series: Reducing California’s Fire Risk – Tour led by: FormLA Landscaping
- Thought Leadership Series: Reducing California’s Fire Risk – Tour led by: USGBC NorCal
- Firewise or fiction? Explore common misunderstandings about wildfires and the truth about protecting properties
- Mandeville Canyon Fire-Hardened Home Tour – Learn strategies for home hardening and defensive landscaping
- Virtual Tour of Firewise Homes in Malibu and Brentwood – Creating defensive landscapes through design strategies
- Creating Firewise Properties Webinar
- USGBC-LA & SCAG Wildfire Defense Forum & Virtual Tour
Join the Urban Landscaping Committee!
The USGBC-LA Urban Landscape Committee seeks to protect and expand access to high-quality green space. Our focus will be in the places where nature can have the greatest impact on community health and resilience–our public schools and youth in our local, historically excluded communities.
Resources
We are deeply appreciative of the invaluable network of professionals within our community who have played a crucial role in the creation of the resources we are able to offer today. These resources encompass a toolkit, certification workshops tailored for landscapers and construction professionals, a Thought Leadership Series, enlightening tours, and the contributions of numerous brilliant individuals!
To access valuable and extensive resources related to the home-hardening and wildfire defense landscaping process, please click here.
Are you interested in getting involved or would you like to receive more information? Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!
