How Gardeners Can Reduce Risk of Fire

If you are selecting plants for your garden, knowing which plants offer some fire resistance and which are more flammable (易燃的) can serve you well.

Quicker to catch fire

Plants like bamboo that produce flammable substances such as aromatic oils, resins (树脂), wax, or sap, are among the quickest to catch fire. 【小题1】

Trees with thin bark (树皮) that falls off are usually more flammable than those without. And fine-needled plants like pine, juniper, and spruce contain resins. 【小题2】

Many kinds of grasses are highly flammable. Their ability to catch fire increases when they are left to stand dry over winter or during periods without rain. Additionally, too much heat dries out the soil and under such conditions, many kinds of plants turn into a fire starter.

Native vs. non-native

As a group, native plants aren’t necessarily less flammable than introduced kinds of plants. 【小题3】 That is because they spread quickly and are usually left alone by wildlife. The non-native plants spread faster than native plants, and often tolerate heat, heavy rain and lack of water better.

For the best fire resistance, choose trees that lose their leaves every year, like ash, and maple, rather than fine-needled trees. 【小题4】 Those plants with water-filled leaves include ice plants and sedums. Some groundcover plants are also slow burners.

What to look for in plants

The Washington State University Extension Service has published advice for choosing plants that are fire-resistant. 【小题5】 They include:

•High water content in leaves.

•Little or no seasonal gain of dead plant material.

•Open branching (they provide less fuel for fires).

•Fewer total branches and leaves.