Selecting and Maintaining Firewise Plants for Landscaping

One of the major issues in the southern wildland-urban interface is the loss of homes to wildfire. For homeowners who live in an area with a medium to high risk of wildfire, this document provides useful information for protecting your property (see University of Florida/IFAS publication FOR 71 “Landscaping in Florida with Fire in Mind” to determine your wildfire risk, http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FR076; New wildfire risk assessment guidelines for homeowners in the southern USA were released in the summer of 2004 by the University of Florida/IFAS at http://www.interfacesouth.org/fire/ WildfireRAGH.pdf). While fire control agencies play an important role in fire prevention and the protection of homes, there are actions that individual homeowners can take to reduce the vulnerability of their home to wildfire. Creating an area of defensible space is one of the most important actions. Defensible space is defined as an area of modified vegetation between natural areas (e.g., woodlands) and homes that breaks up the continuity of plants and allows firefighters to protect the home or, in absence of firefighters, allows the home to better survive on its own. Recommendations for defensible space suggest maintaining an area extending at least 30 feet outward from a house with plants that are low in flammability (referred to as firewise plants).