Fire Hazardous Plants
A resilient, fire-wise landscape design uses sustainable practices, hardscape, and plant selection and maintenance to reduce the risk of fire in the defensible space zone, while creating a beautiful garden.
A resilient, fire-wise landscape design uses sustainable practices, hardscape, and plant selection and maintenance to reduce the risk of fire in the defensible space zone, while creating a beautiful garden.
Certain fire prone shrubs and trees, like juniper, Italian cypress, pampas/jubata grass and most bamboo species shed such quantities of fine material that they are very difficult to maintain, and ideally would be removed from the Defensible Space area and replaced with less problematic plant selections. Eucalyptus trees, as well as conifers like pine, cedar, and fir trees must be maintained aggressively to remove built up flammable materials.
Many plants are particularly susceptible to fire, especially if they are not placed and maintained properly. Some plants ignite readily and burn intensely, and should be aggressively maintained or removed if present in a home’s Defensible Space zone or close to roads and driveways. Fire prone plants typically share certain characteristics:
Avoid invasive species which are often dry and combustible in fire season.
Many plants are particularly susceptible to fire, especially if they are not placed and maintained properly. Some plants ignite readily and burn intensely, and should be aggressively maintained or removed if present in a home’s Defensible Space zone or close to roads and driveways. Fire prone plants typically share certain characteristics:
- They are often blade leaf or needle leaf evergreens
- Their sap is usually gummy, resinous, and has a strong odor.
- They usually produce abundant fine, twiggy, dry or dead materials
- They may have loose or papery bark.
Avoid invasive species which are often dry and combustible in fire season.