The Mendocino College Agriculture Department is pleased to welcome nationally recognized author, horticulture expert, and Cal Poly Pomona Instructor, Douglas Kent on November 21 for a dynamic presentation about the importance of firescaping and managing wildlands near urban areas for fire safety.

With tens of thousands of wildfires burning across the country every year, destroying millions of acres of land, the importance of firescaping is now more important than ever. Kent will share valuable information from his book Firescaping (October 2019, Wilderness Press) including secrets, tricks, and simple instructions that can help homes survive a wildfire.

Kent’s love affair with landscaping spans decades. He is an expert in ecological land management (ELM), the practice of designing and maintaining landscapes for specific environmental outcomes, such as carbon reduction, pollinator attraction, or waterbody protection. Kent has run four statewide education campaigns and participated in hundreds of landscape projects. Since 2005, he has toured, worked with, and spoken to fire-scarred communities throughout California. He has been on the front lines of many fires. His work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Fine Gardening, Sunset Magazine, and National Wildlife, as well as on HGTV and CNN Comcast. Aside from Firescaping, Kent has written six other books and has taught some aspect of land management at the Center for Regenerative Studies at California Polytechnic State University, Pomona, since 2008.

This event will be held in the Little Theater at the Mendocino College Ukiah campus on Thursday, November 21 from 6:30 -8 pm. The Ukiah campus of Mendocino College is located at 1000 Hensley Creek Road, Ukiah, CA  95482.  For more information about the event, contact Jim Xerogeanes at (707) 468-3218.