MOFD Partners with Master Gardeners on a Firewise Demonstration Garden
Previously published in the August 2025 issue of Lamorinda Weekly
By Sora O’Doherty
A new Firewise demonstration garden will be installed at Moraga-Orinda Fire District Station 42 on Moraga Rd. The project was unanimously given the green light at the MOFD Board meeting on Aug. 20.
The project was spearheaded by MOFD Director Steve Danziger, who is also a Master Gardener. At the meeting, the directors heard a presentation by Anna Wendorf and Dawn Kooyumjian, members of the UC Master Gardeners of Contra Costa County.
The Master Gardener program was started by the University of California in 1980. The network of 53 master gardener programs across the state of California with the mission to extend the University’s research-based knowledge and information on home horticulture, pest management and sustainable landscape practices to the residents of California.
The MOFD Board approved $5,000 for the project last year, but owing to some complications, the project was postponed, and the funds had to be reallocated. Now that the project has been approved and the funds reallocated, it is hoped that planting will begin in October, a good time for new plantings.
Wendorf gave a presentation to the Board, including a tentative plan for how the garden might look. Wendorf described the project as “a great opportunity to demonstrate the Zone Zero, which everybody is really confused about.”
Using the funds available, and hoping for some further donations, the Master Gardeners plan to demonstrate several different ways that landscaping can be both Firewise and attractive. From the front wall of the station, there will be a five-foot non-combustible zone.
Further out, there will be demonstration islands of low fuel plantings and all the other practices that are going to be put in place for Firewise landscaping. There will also be some paths running back into the redwood trees with some sitting areas. There will be informative signage so that people can walk through and get educated on what these practices are and why they are being used in this way,” Wendorf explained.
In addition to various types of Firewise plants, such as California natives and Mediterranean plants, the group hopes to be able to demonstrate some small segments of Firewise fencing to show how combustible gates connected to homes can be replaced.
Wendorf said that the group has “a lot of ideas we’re bouncing around, but the idea is to inspire people because there really isn’t a whole lot of information about how to make this area attractive.”
The group hopes to have some materials donated, such as fire-resistant fencing and different types of gravel and landscaping stone. Danziger added that there is a good group of Master Gardeners who live in Moraga and Orinda who are willing to assist. In addition, he has already spoken with local clubs, including Rotary and Garden Clubs and will be talking to the Town of Moraga. In addition, the staff at Station 42 are willing to help when they are able.
Danziger explained that the public will be able to enter the demonstration garden from the driveway and walk through it. “It will be sort of like the San Francisco Garden Show . . . and I’m hoping that we’ll have little signs that will say the reason why we’re doing this.”
In addition, the Contra Costa Master Gardeners may also use the site for classes, perhaps on native plants, composting, or other landscaping methods. Such public presentations would be hands-on workshops that represent active education, while the demonstration garden is a form of passive education.
After approving the project unanimously, Vice President Craig Jorgens, presiding in the absence of President Greg Hasler, expressed the board’s excitement to see the project move forward and “see how we can make our communities fire safe and beautiful at the same time.”