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  1. #1
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    Default Paulownia Trees / Fire Break ?

    Hi,
    Im thinking of a move to the country and am looking at building a workshop in what is now a paddock, surrounded by native bush .

    I was thinking of planting Paulownia trees around the workshop for the shade and it would be nice to see a fast growing plant that should do well in the well draining black sandy soil .

    I just want to know if Paulownia's would be good as a fire break as well ?

    I would think that they don't have the volatile oils that our gum trees and pine trees have.

    Any one know ?

    Rob

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  3. #2
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    Victoria... I would do a mixed plant... black walnut, oak, almond, elm, maybe beech, claret ash, liquid amber. They mightn't grow as quickly as pawlonia but they will be a hell of a lot more use in the future. Maybe pawlonia as well and I am sure that any of the above are a lot more fire resistant than gums or pines.(especially if you put in a big dam and a big fire pump and soak the trees if a fire is coming) anyway good luck with the move.

  4. #3
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    Yes , I know what you mean . Nice useful timbers and beautiful trees. Not fast enough in the growth though .
    I sat under a mates Paulownia years ago , it got BIG quick !! lovely shade as well . I just want to know if a fire would catch in the canopy and tear through it. I would think not . I'm sort of thinking of 20 / 25 meters deep off the building in trees then a fence to keep them cows out . I haven't committed to the move yet , I am keen though.

    Rob

  5. #4
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    I get it, first the paulownia trees for the shade and to condition the soil then a leisurely and thoughtful planting of better trees over the years which will then shoot up through the paulownia and be beautiful straight tall trees when the paulownia are taken down. PS forgot acacia melanoxalin- tas blackwood thrives in victoria.

  6. #5
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    Default Paulownia

    Quote Originally Posted by Toymaker Len View Post
    I get it, first the paulownia trees for the shade and to condition the soil then a leisurely and thoughtful planting of better trees over the years which will then shoot up through the paulownia and be beautiful straight tall trees when the paulownia are taken down. PS forgot acacia melanoxalin- tas blackwood thrives in victoria.
    Len,

    Pailownia are a fast growing tree and being deciduous will give plenty of shade for the summer. They have a large crown and if space 7 metres apart they will touch each other. The leaves are large and will clog your gutter in autium unless you take precautions. The trees will out grow most othe species and you will have difficulty getting other species to grow well if they are amongst the Paulownia. The root system is extensive but shallow. Given their size and the level of foliage I doubt they would condition the adjacent soil. Commercial growers fertilize the trees on a gerular basis to get the growth.

    Whitewood

  7. #6
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    Trees are not fire breaks,when the hot northerlies are up and the humidity is way down water is you defence, water that comes out of a fire fighting appliance !!

  8. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by HUON View Post
    Trees are not fire breaks,when the hot northerlies are up and the humidity is way down water is you defence, water that comes out of a fire fighting appliance !!

    Go read a bit more ----------------- Edit, 11.48 pm, Profanities deleted .

    https://www.google.com.au/?gfe_rd=cr...+as+fire+break

  9. #8
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  10. #9
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    I've been involved fighting bushfires long enough to know that any tree will burn under extreme conditions, if you think you have a fire retardant break in the form of trees then good luck. As far as I'm concerned it's a false sense of security and auscab feel free to abuse me all you like. Water of a ducks back.

  11. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by HUON View Post
    I've been involved fighting bushfires long enough to know that any tree will burn under extreme conditions, if you think you have a fire retardant break in the form of trees then good luck. As far as I'm concerned it's a false sense of security and auscab feel free to abuse me all you like. Water of a ducks back.
    I am with you on this one. If you have ever experienced the ferocity of a real bushfire you know that nothing will stop them.

  12. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by HUON View Post
    I've been involved fighting bushfires long enough to know that any tree will burn under extreme conditions, if you think you have a fire retardant break in the form of trees then good luck. As far as I'm concerned it's a false sense of security and auscab feel free to abuse me all you like. Water of a ducks back.

    If I am not there to fight the fire and am sitting in a safe area away from the fire, I think I would feel better knowing my workshop and house had a better chance of surviving with plantings of less flammable material deep around the perimeter.

    If a fire is coming at all that I own, I wont be sitting there feeling secure , so I wont have any false senses on the day , don't try and make me sound like an idiot Huon . I will be deeply worried about the people I love and hope they are safe. Who sits around feeling falsely secure in that situation ?

    I'm looking for helpful opinions. I have been learning that deciduous trees are a good idea. I just have not come across info of the Paulownia , which I like the sound of because it's fast growing and I have seen them before. It sounds like just the one species may not be the go either . ember catching less flammable shrubs sounds like a good idea as well.

    The tall bush is mostly about 2 to 300 meters away and its just the strips of bush either sides of the road , it's not many kilometers of bush leading up to me, it is many kilometers of crops , Grass for cows mainly . I know grass fires are bad but I would think they are not as bad as a Eucalyptus Forrest going up in flames in front of you and killing things at 300 meters distance from radiant heat.

  13. #12
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    Auscab if you think I was trying to make you look like an idiot then you have my sincere apologies. Over the years we've set ourselves up with a number of fire fighting capabilities; ie a 1000lt tank on a trailer which has a fire fighting pump on the back, a 500lt slipon unit that sits on the back of a 4wd landcruiser tray, a fire fighting pump connected to the dam which feeds 3 firefighting outlets around the house and one around the shed and then we have an 11,000 gal tank which gravity feeds sprinklers around the garden.All that said, if you saw our garden you would probably sh-t yourself if you thought a fire was in the area. But that's the price we pay for the absolute joy we get out of watching the birdlife and wildlife making their home next door to our home.
    In other words we wont be leaving our property because a fire is heading our way, we feel we are sufficiently prepared for a defence of our property.

  14. #13
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    I like the paulownia tree idea Huon & wish my fully treed 30 acres in Qld had them as they are magnificent. Having said that i`m very aware of past fires that have gone through my area through the years.Would these trees help as a firebreak? I don`t know.Ideally i would need to sink a dam to provide some assistance.I don`t have any dwellings on the acres yet.But i will definately look into clearings/water later on.

    http://www.paulowniatrees.com.au/

  15. #14
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    Don't get me wrong, I love trees and plants in general. You only have to go to the gardening section of this forum to see what I mean. All I'm saying is that trees are not a fire break, they are not fire retardant. Everything will burn when the conditions are right for a bushfire. I've nothing more to say on this matter so I wont waste your time anymore.

  16. #15
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    The view of Huon's birdlife after a fire, when the conditions are right, with natives right up to his door.

    https://www.google.com.au/search?q=c...w=1440&bih=740

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