Your backyard is a place for relaxation and spending time with family and friends. But if you live in a wildfire-prone area, it’s important to understand how your landscape design choices impact fire safety. Even if you live somewhere that doesn’t experience wildfires, your choices can improve the odds your home stays safe from any fire threat.
Understanding Defensible Space
Your home is often surrounded by trees, plants, and structures that can ignite under the right conditions. Creating a buffer, AKA defensible space, of non-combustible materials around your home increases the odds it won’t catch fire.
Defensible space consists of three zones. Each zone is a distinct layer that protects your property and makes it harder for the fire to reach in and cause damage. While the plants, trees, and shrubs in each zone impact how defensible it is, how and where you plant everything has just as big of an impact.
For example, choosing drought-tolerant plants is crucial in areas that don’t get a lot of rainfall or are dry in the summer. However, it’s equally important to ensure the plants closer to your house are widely spaced so that if one ignites, the fire can’t spread as easily to the next plant.
Zone 0: Ember-Resistant Zone
Zone 0 is closest to your home. It extends five feet from the outside of the structure and should be free of vegetation and combustible materials. This creates an ember-resistant barrier that helps protect your property from floating embers that can ignite plants and spread flames to your house.
Use only non-flammable landscaping materials in this zone, like stone, metal, or concrete. Regular cleaning and maintenance also keep debris, dead leaves, and other flammable materials out.
Zone 1: Lean, Clean, and Green Zone
Zone 1 is the next five to thirty feet from your home. This zone generally contains fire-resistant plants such as ground cover plants to create a dense area that’s easy to maintain, well-irrigated, and suppresses weed growth.
Regular maintenance to keep plants trimmed and watered is necessary to ensure zone one remains a defensible space with plants that are less likely to ignite if embers land on them. While zone one is farther from your home, it’s essential that plants aren’t too close together and to incorporate gravel, stone, and fire-resistant mulch into the design to improve fire resistance.
Zone 2: Reduce Fuel Zone
Zone 2 is the last layer of defensible space and is 30 to 100 feet from your home. It can have larger trees and shrubs spaced apart and regularly pruned and trimmed to remove dead vegetation that can act as a fuel source.
Choosing plant varieties that grow slowly or require less care and maintenance can improve fire resistance. Be sure to dispose of or recycle old mulch that’s made from organic materials, as something like bark mulch can smolder, making it much harder for the local fire department to notice and extinguish.
Plant and Tree Management
Creating a defensible space also includes maintaining the plants and trees in each zone. While keeping plants healthy is important, so too is choosing the right plants for your climate and spacing them appropriately.
Use Appropriate Plant Species
No plant is completely fire-proof, and even the most fire-resistant plants can combust in the right conditions. Persistent drought, low humidity levels, and strong winds can all spark a fire that spreads quickly. However, some plants are more resistant than others under the right circumstances.
Deciduous shrubs and trees (those that lose their leaves in the fall) are excellent choices as long as they’re healthy. However, ornamental plants — even native species — are more combustible.
Fire-resistant plants:
- Don’t collect dry or dead plant material
- Have minimal sap that’s watery
- Don’t have a strong odor (outside of seasonal flowers)
- Have wide, flat leaves
- Has leaves that are moist and not brittle
Some species to consider including in your landscape are:
- Western Columbine
- Kinnikinnick
- Oregon Grape
- Red Flowering Currant
- Western Sword Fern
- Salal
- Pacific Ninebark
- Snowberry
- Vine Maple
- Douglas Spirea
Flammable plants are the opposite. They:
- Have or collect fine or dead material, like twigs, needles, and leaves
- Have leaves with wax or oil
- Contain sap or resin that’s sticky
- Crushed leaves or needles have a strong odor
You may want to avoid:
- Leyland Cypress
- Arborvitae
- Scotch Broom
- Pampas Grass
- Juniper
- Eucalyptus
Proper Plant Spacing
Choosing the right plant species helps, as does the distance between your plants. Spacing plants far enough from each other so the fire can’t spread is a start, but also consider planting things in a zig-zag path. A straight line of vegetation is more likely to catch fire no matter how wide the spacing is.
Also, think about vertical distance. Maintaining enough space between the ground and lower branches of trees and shrubs can stop fire from climbing to higher tree branches and possibly your roof.
Tree Care and Maintenance
Taking care of your trees also reduces fire risks around your property. Trimming and pruning the lower branches stops them from acting like a ladder that could carry fire up to the treetops or your roof. Likewise, making sure the tree canopy isn’t too thick or dense prevents fire spread.
Keep an eye on your trees and remove dead or dry vegetation or branches, as these can provide extra fuel during wildfire season.
Design Principles
Creating a defensible space requires smart design and regular upkeep, and that extends beyond the plants around your home. Here’s what else to consider.
Use Hardscape Features
Incorporating non-combustible materials in your design creates barriers that can slow or even stop fire from spreading. Gravel and stone mulch are a start, and adding a concrete path or river rock foundation increases fire resistance around your property.
Decorative Safety
Placing artistic elements, like garden art or lighting, adds beauty to your yard and enhances its safety. These features create non-flammable space between plants, decreasing the odds the fire will spread while making your landscape visually interesting.
Functional Layout
Using wide paths that are clear of combustible materials helps reduce fire risks. Even something like a gravel path or stepping stones can make your yard more resistant to fires.
Structural Modifications and Safety Measures
Strategic modifications enhance your property’s defensible space and protect it from wildfires.
Consider swapping out your wood decks and fences for something less flammable, like treated timber or chain link to decrease the odds these structures catch fire.
A fire pit extends the time you can spend outdoors, but it’s crucial to keep them away from overhanging branches and flammable structures. Use fire screens to contain embers and stop them from floating away.
Adding something like a stone retaining wall to create a break in the vegetation can also stop fire from spreading.
We’re Here to Help
Fire-resistant landscaping does more than just look good — it acts as a safety barrier that can save your home and possibly your life. At Dig’um Dirtworks, we know which plants and techniques will make your property a safer place. We prioritize using native plants that are adapted to our local climate and naturally resistant to fire. If you’re thinking about upgrading your yard to stand up better against wildfires, contact us today for a free consultation. Let’s make your landscape safe and stylish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the first steps in creating a fire-resistant landscape?
A: Start by clearing flammable debris and selecting fire-resistant plants.
Q: How often should I maintain my defensible zones?
A: Regular maintenance, such as pruning, mulching, and debris removal, should be done at least twice a year, with more frequent checks during fire season.
Q: Can fire-resistant landscaping help in any climate?
A: Yes, while particularly beneficial in fire-prone areas, these practices can enhance fire safety and aesthetics in any climate.
Q: What are the best types of mulch to use?
A: Non-flammable mulches like rock or gravel are safest. Avoid organic mulches like pine bark mulch or shredded wood, which can easily ignite.
Q: How do fire-resistant plants help during a wildfire?
A: Fire-resistant plants tend to have higher moisture content and less oil, which makes them less likely to ignite and spread flames.
Q: Are there any fire-resistant ground covers that can add to my home’s defense?
A: Yes, ground covers like creeping phlox, sedum, and ajuga are low-growing and help keep the area moist and less hospitable to flames.
Q: How should I space my plants?
A: Space trees and shrubs far enough apart to prevent the spread of flames. A good rule of thumb is to plant trees so that at maturity, their branches don’t touch.
Q: Can a fire-resistant landscape include trees?
A: Absolutely, but choose species wisely. Deciduous trees are generally more fire-resistant than evergreens because they tend to have higher moisture content and less resin.
Q: What are some strategies for maintaining fire safety during water restrictions?
A: Prioritize watering near your home and use drip irrigation to minimize water use. Choose drought-tolerant, fire-resistant plants that require less water overall.
