The following tables contain examples of fire resistant plants useful in establishing defensible space. Remember, no plants are fire proof. Plants should be placed into small groups (planting in 3’s and 5’s allows for a more natural appearance) with significant space between each group. Pictures and For More information about each plant can be obtained on the internet simply by doing a search using the plant’s scientific name, which is seen below in italics. Information...

TREES SHRUBS PERENNIALS & GROUNDCOVERS

WEBSITES Scientific Name Common Name Scientific Name Common Name Scientific Name Common Name www.firewise.org

Height 20-40 feet Height and Spacing 2-5 feet Perennials www.firesafecouncil.org

Acer ginnala Amur Maple Spirea x bulmalda Limemound Spirea P Achillea species Yarrow ☼ www.nifc.gov ‘Limemound’ Alnus tenuifolia Mountain Alder Bergenia species Bergenia ☼ P www.id.blm.gov/iso/fire/index.htm Spirea japonica Shirobana Spirea P Malus species Crabapple Coreopsis species Coreopsis ☼ http://fsweb.r4.fs.fed.us Yucca filamentosa Yucca ☼ Acer glabrum Rocky Mountain Maple Geranium species Geranium ☼ P www.nfpa.org Mahonia aquifolium Oregon Grape Holly P Prunus padus May Day Tree Hemerocallis hybrids Daylilies ☼ P www.keepidahogreen.org/resident.htm Burning Bush ☼ P Populus tremuloides Quaking Aspen Euonymus alatus Heuchera species Coral Bells ☼ P www.3riversrcd.org Potentilla fruiticosa Potentilla ☼ P Betula nigra River Birch Iris species Iris ☼ http://extension.ag.ui.idaho.edu/mg/southeast/ Spirea bumalda Anthony Waterer Spirea P Salix m. ‘Umbraculifera’ Globe Willow Kniphofia uvaria Red Hot Poker ☼ flowers_shrubs_index.htm

Cotoneaster apiculatus Cranberry Cotoneaster ☼ P Salix babylonica Weeping Willow Lupinus species Lupine ☼ P Cotoneaster horizontalis Rockspray Cotoneaster ☼ P Betula pendula European White Birch Oenothera species Evening Primrose ☼ REFERENCES Philidelphus virginalis Mock Orange P Aesculus hipposcatanum Red Horsechestnut Penstemon species Beard Tongue ☼ The following references were used in the Forsynthia intermedia Forsynthia P development of this brochure. Both provide Height 41-60 feet Solidago species Goldenrod ☼ Symphoricarpos albus Snowberry P useful information for decreasing the threat of Gleditsia tricanthos Honeylocust Groundcovers wildfire to your home. Acer platanoides Norway Maple Height and Spacing 6-10 feet Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Kinickinnick P Landscaping for Wildfire Prevention - Protecting Cornus sericea Red Twig Dogwood ☼ P Quercus macrocarpa Bur Oak Euonymus fortuneii Wintercreeper ☼ P Homes of the Wildland/Urban Interface. Buddlea davidii Butterfly Bush ☼ P Quercus palustris Pin Oak Mahonia repens Creeping Mahonia ● Rosa foetida Austrian Copper Rose ☼ Idaho Forest, Wildlife Range Experiment Fraxinus pennsylvanica Green Ash Vinca minor Common Periwinkle ● Station. Moscow, Idaho: Revised June 2002 Catalpa speciosa Northern Catalpa Syringa vulgaris Lilac ☼

Prunus cistena Cistena Plum ☼ Populus angustifolia Narrowleaf Cottonwood As a Reminder... Living with Fire - A Guide for the Homeowner. Aesculus carnea Common Horsechestnut Spirea vanhouteii Bridal Wreath Spirea ☼ Keep a 30 foot wide area irrigated with fire Great Basin Fire Prevention Organization Vibrurnum trilobum American Cranberry Bush ☼ Height 61-120 feet resistant plants Lonicera tatarica Tatarian Honeysuckle P Pinus ponderosa Ponderosa Pine Remove ladder fuels Three Rivers Resource Conservation and Rhus glabra Smooth Sumac ☼ Acer negundo Box Elder Create spaces between plants and plant groupings Development Council’s Fraxinus Americana White Ash Height and Spacing 11-20 feet Keep all limbs 15 feet away from structures Wildland Fire Education Program Populus alba White Poplar Ligustrum vulgare Common Privet ☼ Rhus typhina Staghorn Sumac ☼ 237-4628 x 105 Populus Canadensis Carolina Poplar Varies Sun Exposure [email protected] Acer species Other Maples ☼ Full Sun - Requires the plant to be exposed to sun at least 8 hours of the day ● Shade - Requires the plant to have Please call or e-mail for a free home evaluation or Betula species Other Birch P Partial Sun - Requires the plant to be exposed to sun about 4 hours of the day minumum sun exposure more information. Why Be Firewise? How to be Firewise? Proper Firewise Landscaping

Fire History Wildfire Behavior Plant Selection Fire is an important natural component Wildfire behavior is driven by several components, all When establishing defensible space, use plants of ecosystems, including forests and of which must be present to create a fire environment. which are more resistant to fire than others. There rangelands. Over the course of Two of these components, including weather and are no fire proof plants. All plants will burn in a very millennia, wildland fires have burned topography cannot be influenced by humans. intense fire. Below are some characteristics of fire these systems resulting in healthy forests However, humans can manipulate the fuel resistant plants. and rangelands. component, which consists of vegetation (i.e. live • Have a high moisture content in their leaves plants and dead leaves and needles) and combustible building materials (i.e. roof). • Are drought tolerant Although beneficial, these fires are considered • Have little or no seasonal accumulation of dead unacceptable as they conflict with human land-use vegetation practices and aesthetics. Therefore, wildland fires Defensible Space have been suppressed for over a century. As a result of • Have a low volume of total vegetation this suppression, dry vegetation has accumulated in Defensible space refers to the area between a house • Have non-resinous, non-oily, non-waxy stems our forests and rangelands causing fire breakouts to be and an oncoming wildfire where vegetation and leaves more destructive and more difficult to control. management practices reduce the threat of wildfire. • Have an open, loose branching habit This space can be a distance of 30 feet to 200 feet Are slow growing depending on the slope and type of vegetation growing • Wildland-Urban Interface near the home. Minimize the use of fire-prone plants Despite wildland fires, many people desire to “plant (pyrophytes), such as junipers, other conifers, their roots” among these natural resources broad-leafed conifers, berries, and ornamental establishing an area referred to as the wildland-urban grasses. interface. Defensible Space

(30ft - 200ft) Plant Placement and Maintenance Guide for As this area continues to grow, fires become an Homeowners Living increasing concern. Not only have wildland areas When developing a landscape, remember, open in the Wildland- acquired humans, who can start fires, but they have spaces are more important than plants. Establish also accumulated structures, which are nothing more Vegetation Management Practices space between plants and groups of plants on the Urban Interface than fuel to a fire. As the Firewise program in Virginia ground. Also, provide a separation between trees, states, “A house cannot stop, drop, and roll”. • Remove flammable trees and shrubs, especially shrubs, and ground covers to avoid ladder fuels, those in close proximity to the home which allow fire to move from lower growing plants to taller ones. Prepared by In this instance, fire is not apart of our Prune dead wood from shrubs, remove low tree • Three Rivers Resource Conservation environment but we are apart of fire’s branches, and mow dried grass and Development Council’s natural environment. Therefore, we have The area closest to a structure out to 30 a responsibility to protect this • Select fire resistant vegetation to replace feet should be where irrigated Wildland Fire Education Program environment and ourselves. flammable vegetation perennials, lawns, and low growing or non-woody deciduous plants are Funded by • Practice proper firewise landscaping placed. If turf grass is not desirable, utilize

groundcovers, conservation grasses, or clover, which A Grant from The Idaho Reasons To Be Firewise are kept green during the fire season. Department of Lands in cooperation

with the USDA Forest Service It’s our responsibility ● Lives, homes and, properties safer ● Neighbors and communities safer

and Trees can also be used near structures if pruned Community values safer ● Less damage to natural resources ● Firefighters safer ● Less $ spent on firefighting properly and irrigated. When planting trees keep in A Grant from The City of Pocatello mind their height when full grown. Keep tree limbs Fire Department In accordance with Federal law and U. S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or at least 15 feet from all structures. Avoid creating disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA , Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, ladder fuels near structures. 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5694 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.