HOUSE
start with your home
LANDSCAPE
design a native &
fire-wise landscape
PLANTS
understand your environment
SURROUNDING
WILDLANDS
critical ecosystem services
A resilient landscape is fire-wise, water wise and promotes biodiversity by using California native plants. These gardens use sustainable practices, plant selection, and maintenance to reduce the risk of fire in the defensible space zone. Resilient gardens save water, protect us from fire and promote biodiversity.
Design by April Owens, photo by Saxon Holt/PhotoBotanic
The Resilient Landscapes Coalition provides practical information to homeowners, landscape professionals, and defensible space inspectors about implementing defensible and resilient landscapes in the 0-100 foot zone around the home, based on the best scientific research and gardening expertise. Many homeowners believe that defensible space requires extensive clearing of trees and shrubs. The result may be unattractive, bare landscapes that invite invasive, fire prone plants. Others may feel overwhelmed to the point of inactivity, and intimidated by the possibility of creating a “moonscape”.
Fire-wise landscaping integrates proper plant selection, placement and maintenance, with features such as retaining walls, paths, fencing, and open areas to reduce a property’s vulnerability to wildfire. Careful planning and design will reduce the possibility of ignition, lower fire intensity, and slow the spread of fire – all factors which will increase a home’s survivability during a wildfire.
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Announcements!
Occidental Community Center Resilient Landscape Project
The Occidental Community Council, Safer West County, and Resilient Landscape Coalition are excited to announce this design competition for a reimagined landscape for the Occidental Community Center. Landscape architects, designers, contractors, and community members are welcome to submit designs.
Following the hard work of many community volunteers who have removed large amounts of dying and highly flammable vegetation surrounding the building, this project aims to transform the Center’s outdoor areas into a welcoming, ecologically sustainable, and community-serving landscape that reflects local values, supports biodiversity, and responds to the challenges of climate change.
In addition to increasing the Occidental Community Center’s visual appeal and public access/use, we hope to create a beautiful installation that demonstrates defensible space and resilient landscaping principles.
Submittals for this community-led and funded project must be received no later than midnight on November 24, 2025. (An open question period extends from September 27th to October 10th.) After review by a panel of judges, the community will vote on the winning candidate from the finalists.
For details on this Request For Design Submittals, please visit the full RDS and project graph here.
THE RESILIENT LANDSCAPES COALITION PARTNERSHIP