Characteristics of Fire Resistant Vegetation

All plants will burn under extreme fire weather conditions such as drought. However, plants burn at different intensities and rates of consumption. Fire-resistive plants burn at a relatively low intensity, slow rates of spread, and with short flame lengths. The following are characteristics of fire-resistive vegetation:

Spiderwort has succulent stems, enabling it to retain water during times of drought and fire hazard.

• Growth with little or no accumulation of dead vegetation (either on the ground or standing upright).
• Non-resinous plants.
• Low volume of total vegetation (e.g., a grass area as opposed to a forest or shrub-covered land).
• Succulents or plants with high live fuel moisture (plants that contain a large amount of water in comparison to their dry weight).
• Drought-tolerant plants (deeply rooted plants with thick, heavy leaves).
• Plants requiring little maintenance (slow-growing plants which, when maintained, require little care).
• Plants with woody stems and branches that require prolonged heating to ignite.

Some examples of fire resistive vegetation adapted to Wisconsin's climate are:

Deciduous trees (ones that lose their leaves in the fall) tend to be more fire-resistant than evergreens.

Groundcovers: lily of the valley, wild strawberry, blue phlox, trailing arbutus, wintergreen, gay-wings, pink pyrola, white trout lily

Herbaceous plants: yarrow, columbine, delphinium, iris, spiderwort, lupine, geranium, trillium, Dutchman's breeches, Turk's cap lily, wood lily, lady fern

Shrubs: dogwoods, speckled alder, currants and gooseberries, cranberry bush, witch hazel

Trees: ash, willow, hawthorn, aspen, plum, cherry, birch, cottonwood, maples, oaks, beech