A vegetation fire in Tustin on May 12 forced the evacuation of several homes and threatened many more. Even without wind, fire spread quickly up a slope and through an area covered with 20-year-old Acacia, resulting in charred landscape and damaged or destroyed property.
Acacia was once accepted in areas prone to wildfire but after 15-20 years, it contributes to wildfire spread. Dead plant material builds up under Acacia as it ages, especially if it isn't separated and thinned properly. Because of the way it grows, Acacia reaches a point where maintaining it at two feet is no longer possible. It's important for Homeowner Associations to remove existing Acacia and replace it with an approved ground cover when that happens.
Replacing Acacia with fire resistant vegetation will help protect the community from wildfire. It will also improve the appearance of any landscaped area and lower maintenance costs, allowing Homeowner Associations to dedicate resources to other landscape or neighborhood projects.
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今年5月12日，Tustin 發生的一場植被火災迫使數家撤離，並威脅到更多住家。即使在無風的情況下，火勢也迅速沿著斜坡蔓延，穿過覆蓋著二十年生的相思樹區域，造成了地面焦黑和財產損毀。
以往相思樹曾在易發生野火的地區廣泛種植，這種開著黃色小花的灌木具有耐旱省水的特色，但在15至20年後，它卻有可能助長野火的蔓延。隨著相思樹的老化，枯死的樹枝在其下方積累，尤其是在沒有得到適當修剪的情況下。由於其生長方式，相思樹最終難以維持在兩英尺高度的狀態。屋主協會應在這種情況下，移除現有的相思樹，並用經批准的地被植物替代。
用抗火植被替代相思樹將有助於保護社區免受野火的威脅。這不僅能改善任何景觀區的外觀，還能降低維護成本，使屋主協會能將資源用於其他景觀或社區項目。