What Is Fire Retardant?
You may see or hear our products described as being “fire retardant” and wonder what that means. Just as we give added UV rated protection to our artificial plants and trees against the sun’s harmful rays, we also install fire retardant to protect against another destructive element. Fire retardant acts as a type of insurance policy to protect your artificial plants, shrubs, and trees against fire.
Fire retardants delay or stop fire’s damage.
TreeScapes & PlantWorks is a certified fire retardant applicator. We provide fire retardant artificial foliage for commercial landscaping projects.
In nature, certain types of live plants are considered fire retardant to protect homes and structures against wildfires. These plants include: Manzanita, Iris, French lavender, European olive and Verbena. Plants that are considered more of a fire hazard include: Fir, Hemlock, Japanese honeysuckle and the Blue Gum tree, among others. In geographic regions prone to dry conditions and seasonal wildfires, such as Southern California, knowing which plants to plant can be essential to the future value of your property. Smart gardeners choose natural fire retardants.
Artificial plants that have fire retardant materials have an added layer of protection not found in nature. Whether you have an artificial Manzanita or a Fir tree, your plant is equally safe regardless of species.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, there were approximately 524,000 structure fires nationwide in 2006 – up 3 percent from the year before. Structure fires caused $9.6 billion in property damage.
Of course, water is the best fire retardant. But when that resource is not readily available, other chemicals may prevent further damage. Fire retardants can also be coated onto the surface of the object or sprayed on it as well.
In modern times, artificial Christmas trees have used fire retardants as a safeguard to protect homes and being that they are in such close proximity to electrical lights.
In the United States, mattresses are treated with fire retardant chemicals. During summer months, firefighters use fire retardants to battle wildfires, sometimes dropping them out of airplanes while combating the larger fires.