FIREWISE LANDSCAPING

A well designed landscape around your home is the first step toward reducing risk from wildfire. Maintaining it is the second step.

All vegetation is potential fuel for fire. There are no truly "fire proof" plants. All will burn if the conditions are right. There are, however, plants that are Fire-Prone, and those that are Fire-Resistant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

FIRE-PRONE PLANTS

Traits include:

  • needle-like or other fine leaves
  • resinous, oily or waxy foliage or wood
  • loose or papery bark

Examples:

  1. Most conifers
  2. Eucalyptus

 

 

 

 

 

FIRE-RESISTANT PLANTS

Traits include:

  • little or no seasonal accumulation of dead leaves
  • non-resinous wood and leaves
  • high moisture content of leaves

Examples:

  1. Maples
  2. Aspens
  3. Roses
  4. Red-osier dogwood
  5. Ashes
  6. Littleleaf sumac
  7. Lilacs
  8. Chokecherry

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Plants for a Firewise Landscape have one or more of the following characteristics:

Examples:

 

  • They grow without accumulating large amounts of combustible dead branches, leaves or needles.
  • They have open loose branches with a low volume of total vegetation.
  • They have low sap or resin content · Many deciduous species
  • They have high moisture ·
  • They grow slowly and need little maintenance. ·
  • They are short and grow close to the ground.
  • Aspen
  • Currant, mahogany
  • Succulents, some herbaceous species
  • Do not need frequent pruning
  • Wildflowers and groundcovers

Design your landscaping to include a combination of fire-resistant plants/trees and noncombustible hardscape materials, such as decorative stone/brick walls, patios, decorative stone borders around the foundation, stone or brick fences, or a stone or brick pillar in the fence separating the fence from the house.

Download and print this list for use in selecting Firewise plants & trees for your home:

+ FIREWISE LANDSCAPING (pdf)

For more information, contact:

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Updated November 17, 2002

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