Big Bend Chapter

Program – Firewise Landscapes, Feb 9, 2019

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[from Dallas Baxter]

picture of wildfire approaching a house
Texas wildfires can do this.

photo credit: Jay Jenner – Austin American-Statesman

Native Plant Program: Firewise Landscapes Feb. 9

The Big Bend Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas presents a program on Firewise Landscapes from 10 a.m. until noon on Saturday, February 9 in the APL Room of the Alpine Public Library.

Robyn Griffith, Wildland Urban Interface Specialist and Mylea Lovell, Team Lead Wildland Urban Interface Specialist, both with the Texas A&M Forest Service, will present the program.

“We’ll look at many areas of the topic,” said chapter president Dallas Baxter. “How is your home situated in relation to its surroundings – does your landscape help or hinder the spread of fire? What about that area around your home? What is combustible? How does fire move through different types of landscapes.”

Everyone in the Tri-counties has a fire story; some of them are bad, and many of them are avoidable. It can happen to anyone. Homeowners can protect themselves and their homes by knowing what a firewise landscape is.

“You don’t have to sacrifice beauty for safety,” said Baxter.

The mission of the Native Plant Society is promoting research, conservation and utilization of native plants and habitats through education, outreach and example.

The meeting is free to NPSOT members; guests are welcome and are asked to make a $5 per person donation which is good toward a NPSOT membership on the same day as the meeting.

Reservations are required in order to guarantee seating. For reservations, e-mail Fonda Ghiardi by 5 p.m., Friday, Feb. 8.

The Alpine Public Library is located at Ave. E and N. 13 th St. in Alpine.

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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: billarmstrong

About the Region

2026 Fall Symposium Logo

This low-elevations region of Texas extends inland from the barrier islands, about 60 or so miles, and stretches from Brownsville to Louisiana. In total, it covers about 9.5 million acres, with a high point of 150 feet in elevation. More than 1000 species of plants can be found in this region. On the southern end, species more common in Mexico (such as Sabal mexicana) and Central America occur.

The barrier islands provide us with dune systems, and clay flats to the inland side, which have species found in these areas alone. Many plants here, such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (beach morning glory), can be found throughout tropical regions of the globe. I’ve encountered the same species on the beaches of Guam.

Once inland, vast marshes and wet prairies occur. Occasionally, oak (Quercus fusiformis) groves can be found. Common grasses include species of Bothriochloa, Paspalum, and Sporobolus; eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides); and switchgrass (Panicum species). Many rivers and creeks cut through the Gulf Prairies, and along these riparian areas various species of trees, Sabal minor, and other plants adapted to clay soils can be found. Due to overgrazing, farming, and fire suppression, woody species such as mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and invasive species such as chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) have increased and displaced our native flora.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason