Plant spacing, size control and maintenance are more important than type of plant. We cannot eliminate fire but we can alter the fire’s behavior.
Consider creating separation by increasing spacing between tree canopies while considering flat vs sloped terrain.
Maintain vertical clearance of at least 3X the shrub’s height between the tops of shrubs and the bottom of the tree canopy. This can be done by pruning the shrub down, or pruning smaller, easily ignitable tree branches up, or both.
Avoid massing woody shrubs at the base of trees. Consider low-growing, herbaceous
plants instead.
Create islands of plants with non-combustible paths to interrupt spread of fire.
FOR MORE FIRE-SMART LANDSCAPING INFORMATION VISIT UC MARIN MASTER GARDENER
WEBSITE. http:// ucanr.edu/ucmarinmgfiresmart
