Major Fire Damage - Redding, CA

[Gyoung62]

Hello everyone,

I came to Palm Talk when I moved into my house late 2017 - I took the great advice and the palm was looking great. A beloved Canary Island Date Palm was the focal point of the backyard. The Carr Fire in Redding California went on a demolition path through my neighborhood last week and charred up my back yard hillside and unfortunately into my palm tree. If you look at the pictures, you can see the devastation to the hillside in the background - it’s like a war zone. I included a before shot as well. We just got into our house last night after being evacuated since last Thursday.

 

These pictures make me terribly sad, but I was hoping to get any insight on fire damage you all may have. Is the tree lost? Is there anything that can be done?

 

On a separate note - our home was luckily spared, while neighbors on both sides lots their homes, plus about 60 in the neighborhood. It’s been an emotional and devastating week. 

 

Thank you in advance,

Gary

[Gonzer]

You are one lucky sumbich. A wind shift here or there and you'd be homeless. I'm stoked you did not lose your home.

[Josue Diaz]

Amazing that your home is still standing! Glad your home was spared. I've seen Phoenix canariensis come back from fire damage like that. Wait and see what it does. 

[kylecawazafla]

That's so fortunate your home was spared. It's so tragic what is going on up there. Hopefully the Phoenix will live up to its name. The genus was named after the mythical Phoenix bird that rises from ashes, just as the Phoenix dactylifera do when oases catch on fire. 

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

It'll be just fine. Ive seen the crown completely burned off and come back without issue. 

[Palm Tree Jim]

Glad that you and your family are ok.

CIDP are tough palms....

[Cindy Adair]

I am so glad to hear from several posting here  that your gorgeous palm will likely survive.

How frightening it must have been for all in your neighborhood and such devastating losses for so many.

So glad your house remains!

[Gyoung62]

This is all good news. Thank you all for the support.

If there is anything helpful I should be doing, please let me know!

[Tyrone]

Glad you, your family and your home got away unscathed. 

I think you canariensis will be ok and probably come back really strongly. They are a very tough palm. Looking at the pic I think it saw a cool fire event, so the internals probably didn't really heat up by much. There's still green in the fronds.

[dalmatiansoap]

Palms are replaceable

 

[PalmatierMeg]

The CIDP looks a bit scorched but otherwise OK. Glad to know your home came through in good shape.

[George Sparkman]

I am very happy to hear your house is fine !

The Canary will have no problems. You will be amazed how effortless it will recover.

[Darold Petty]

  Your palm will be fine.  If you wanted to give it a little extra boost you could give it more water for a year or so.  Also, I would recommend a 3 or 4 inch layer of high quality compost over the whole surface area of this raised bed.  You have plenty of height with the retaining wall to accommodate this slight increase of elevation.

  I don't have an idea about an effective method to remove the black, charred surface.  Perhaps you could experiment with lashings from a string trimmer ?

   Commercial tree companies often manicure the stems of Washingtonia palms, resulting in a cinnamon colored surface that lasts a few months before aging to grey.

Welcome to Palmtalk ! 

PS Your large palm looks a bit lonely!  Consider the addition of Chamaerops humilis v. argentea or Brahea edulis.

[DoomsDave]

@Gyoung62 thanks for sharing. It's painful to read about, but you've got your house, and as everyone's pointed out, your palm is okay. It has superficial damage at most.

Hope you and your family are okay, too.

Keep us apprised of what happens.

And, I second @Darold Petty's suggestion that your palm needs a bit of palmy company. Other Braheas are good, too, including armata and the infamous Franken Brahea.

[Anthony_B]

Palms are remarkably fire resistant.  I don't know about the Phoenix genus (which is ironic because a Phoenix is a mythical creature made of fire, and they are desert palms), but I'd say your chances are GOOD.  I'll apply the logic to the native sabal palmetto that grows in the southeastern US.

 

If you zoom in on barrier islands off the coast of northern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina on Google Maps, you'll see sabal palmetto take over the island.  The way this has happened over millennia is fire ravages the forests from time to time and burn up all the pine, oak and other hardwood.  Palms are not trees as you know.  Sabal palmetto are practically fireproof (they're highly fire resistant).  The trees turn to ash, and the palms are left standing with only the crowns burnt off.  The spear is safe inside the rubber-like palm trunk and emerge the next year.  Then, they proliferate and use all the burned wood ash from the trees as wonderful fertilizer.

 

That's how sabal palmetto have taken over the southeast.  I would imagine a Phoenix to be able to tolerate fire, too, but only time will tell.

Edited August 5, 2018 by Anthony_B

[Anthony_B]

Here is some information backing up my story.

https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/sabpal/all.html

 

FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Cabbage palmetto grows in areas where ground fires are frequent and
common but crown fires are rare.  It has a well-protected, deeply
imbedded terminal bud, which is held aloft on a fire-resistant trunk.
It survives fire [19].

Edited August 5, 2018 by Anthony_B

[Kim]

What an awful experience for you and your neighbors!  The palm is the least of your worries, as you've already read. Best of luck to your family and neighborhood for a return to normalcy.

[Gyoung62]

Thanks again. I like the idea of adding some other palms to the bed. I will likely do that. 

I found an area picture today. The house is off to the left, the palm is on the backside of the pool. Wild stuff. 

[Tyrone]

2 hours ago, Gyoung62 said:

Thanks again. I like the idea of adding some other palms to the bed. I will likely do that. 

I found an area picture today. The house is off to the left, the palm is on the backside of the pool. Wild stuff. 

Man, that was close. You're very lucky. I think that green tree behind your palm acted as a buffer and possibly the palm and of course the pool were a heat buffer for your house. It also proves that green lawn doesn't burn too well. I had someone in the volunteer bushfire brigade just the other day try and tell me that green lawn burns, but your picture proves otherwise. I suppose virtually everything has an ignition point but to burn green lawn would require a super hot fire ball looking at your pics.

[DoomsDave]

Wow, words just fail me.

Glad you're okay @Gyoung62. Talk about skin of the teeth, gnat's eyelash, etc.

[BS Man about Palms]

Incredible. Glad your palm will be fine as I was shocked at how burned I have seen ones down here come back like nothing happened...I hope you prove to be fine too and your scars are just as minimal down the road..

[doubravsky]

wow. That picture is very depressing. Glad your home made it through!