The heat of Texas summer can serve as a reminder to all of us to think of fire safety. Whether you live in the city or in a rural area, there are a host of ways to make your home better defended against fire and more attractive with Firewise landscaping.

“Firewise landscaping is creating a defensible or survivable space around your home to slow down or stop the spread of a wildfire so that your home is undamaged,” Carol Rankin, Master Gardener said.

She explained that this is done by reducing fuel for the fire with Defensible Space Management Zones, plant selection and maintenance. There are three Defensible Space Management Zones.

Zone 1 is designed to intensively reduce the available fuel.

“This is the most important zone,” Rankin said.

It extends 15-30 feet from structures and should allow access for fire-fighting equipment. She recommends hardscaping with paver stones and gravel will rob a fire of some necessary fuel. If possible, the lawn areas would be at least six feet from buildings, cut to three inches, and well irrigated.

She recommends using well-spaced, low growing, low-flammability plants. Succulents and herbaceous annuals are worth considering for this zone. Plant them three to five feet from structures. Space shrubs two times times as far apart as they are tall. Try to limit the number of trees in this zone.

Pruning trees to 10 feet above vegetation will help restrict feeding a fire. Fire can travel limb to limb or limb to house so trimming branches 10-15 feet from other trees as well as away from your house is critical.

Vines are not recommended because they are considered ladder fuel making it easier for flames to travel from them to other areas.

“If you have vines near your house, be sure it is on a metal trellis and not wood,” Rankin said.

Zone 2 extends from the end of Zone 1 out 60-75 additional feet. This zone is for moderate fuel reduction. Keep trees and shrubs thinned and pruned. Plants should be irrigated, low growing, and low flammability.

Consider island beds rimmed with brick or stone in this zone. Whenever possible, use drought-tolerant plants. Keep grasses and wildflowers cut to eight inches or less especially when dormant and dry. Create walkways and paths to break up fuel continuity. If firewood is stored in this zone, it should be kept at least 30 feet away from structures and no flammable vegetation should be within 10 feet. Propane tanks should be located at least 30 feet from structures with no shrubs or vegetation within 10 feet.

Zone 3 extends out 70-100 feet from structures. This area can be a native vegetation area but should be irrigated occasionally. Keep plants thinned and short. Remove dead vegetation seasonally. Keep trees well-spaced and pruned with thinning done every 3-5 years.

Ranking says that plant selection is critical because they will be fuel for a fire. Less flammable plants will make wildfires less likely to start, burn more slowly, burn cooler, have shorter flames, and burn for a shorter time.

Properties to look at when considering plants for Firewise landscaping are fire resistance and growth characteristics.

Plants that do not readily ignite when exposed to fire generally have a high-water content and stems that are watery lacking resins, oils, and volatiles. These plants also have low combustibility producing a low amount of heat and a small flame. Ember production also needs to be considered because that is another way fire is spread. Growth characteristics are based on growth rate and growth pattern.

Slower growing plants require less maintenance and offer less fuel for the fire. Growth pattern refers to natural growth characteristics of the plant. Low-growing and less dense plants are better as they have less material to use as fuel.

“We have four or five Master Gardeners who are Firewise Specialists, and who are more than willing to go to neighborhoods or organizations and talk about Firewise landscaping and principals,” Rankin said.

Reach out and get your neighbors involved. The Texas Hill Country deserves the best fire prevention and protection available.

Contact Blanco County Master Garners for more information at https://txmg.org/blanco/.