|
Planting around Elevation 1500 ft. Planting around Elevation 4,000 ft.
Fire Resistant Landscaping
While the species of plant selected is very important, the condition of the plant is just as important Even some flammable (pyrophytic) species can be quite fire resistant with proper care. The difference is in the growth form and water status. Plants with open growth forms, no dead wood, and well watered are much less likely to burn.
Plant arrangement, spacing, and maintenance are as important as plant type when considering fire safety. Landscapes with plants arranged and spaced to prohibit large amounts of fuel from occurring in close proximity and adequately watered will greatly reduce the fire hazard.
The plants in this list were taken from a recent publication Defensible Space Landscaping in the Urban/Wildland Interface: A compilation of fire performance ratings of residential landscape plants recently completed by the University of California Forest Products Lab. This project included compiling the fire resistant status of a large number of landscape plants based upon a large number of studies and publications. This list contains those plant species which were identified by several sources as being fire resistant, and which are suited to the climate in the Cool area.
Flammable Plants (“Pyrophytes”)
- Blade-leaf or needle leaf evergreens
- Leaves are typically stiff, leathery, small or fine lacy
- Leaves and wood usually contain volatile waxes, fats, terpenes, or oils
- Typically aromatic (crushed leaves have strong odors)
- Their sap is usually gummy, resinous and has a strong odor
- Usually contain plentiful fine, twiggy, dry or dead materials
- May have pubescent (hair covered) leaves
- May have loose or papery bark
- They are cured and dry
- Grasses: Any dry grass
- Herbs: Any cured herb
- Shrub: Any shrub with excessive dead wood. Any over-mature, dying or dead brush.
- Trees: Any over-dense forest, stand or urban forest planting when under stress or over-mature.
- Water stressed plants that are in poor condition or more flammable
- Plants that flame (not smolder) when preheated and ignited with a match
Fire-Resistant Plants
- Most broad leaf deciduous trees
- Leaves tend to be supple, moist and easily crushed
- Trees tend to be clean, not bushy, and have little dead wood
- Shrubs are low growing (<2 feet) with minimal dead material
- Tall shrubs are clean, not bushy
- Sap is water like and typically does not have a strong odor
|
