How to Choose Fire Resistant Plants
Want to fire mitigate your property in Nederland? Call Colorado Mastication at (719)400-9104.
While you want to protect your homes from fires, you don’t want it to look bare. You need fire-resistant plants, especially in Zone 1. No plant is fully fireproof, but there are good options to minimize the risk.
It’s important to get plants that have a high moisture content. The more water a plant has, the less likely it is to die. This also helps to reduce the risk of fires spreading. So, how do you choose the best plants for the area?
Vegetables Are an Excellent Option
Instead of flowers, why not create a garden that is also going to be sustainable for you? Vegetable gardens are among the best options for reducing the risk of fire. They constantly need water to grow, so you’re going to keep the area moist.
The problem is pests. Caterpillars and other creatures like to feed on the vegetations. You’ll need to find a way to keep them away.
Wildflowers and Shrubs
Wildflowers are beautiful additions to the garden. They have a high water count, which helps to keep fires away.
If you want something larger for the area, look into adding shrubs. You’ll want ones with just a few leaves so you can see through them. While they don’t look as full, they will minimize the spread of fire because there’s no as much greenery fighting for nutrients.
Get Trees that Lose Their Leaves
It may seen stranger to want trees that are deciduous species. Doesn’t losing the leaves mean there’s fuel on the ground? While that is the case, you can handle the fuel problem by raking frequently. During the winter, having trees that lose their leaves reduces the risk of fires.
Deciduous trees have a higher water content. The sap isn’t as volatile to changing conditions, meaning they can withstand diseases and bugs a lot easier than conifers. They even make it easier for the sunlight to hit your home in the winter to allow the UV rays to heat up your home instead of your heating.
This doesn’t mean you can’t have any conifers at all. You just want to choose oaks and aspens over them when you have that choice.
Don’t just rely on the garden centers locally to get fire-resistant plants. A lot of garden centers focus on the needs of the city dwellers instead of those in intermix or rural housing who need to focus on slowing the threat of wildfires.
If you are interested in getting a quote on creating a fire mitigating your home in Nederland, give us a call at (719)400-9104. Our services include: fire mitigation, tree removal and thinning, brush clearing, scrub oak removal, fence line clearing, land clearing.