Defensible Space (Wildfire)
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Problem
As wildfire risk extends into suburban and exurban areas, the thirty-meter zone around every building becomes the difference between survival and total loss. But fire-resistant landscaping designed by engineers looks like a bunker, not a home.
Evidence and Discussion
The Firewise USA program and similar international standards have established clear zones: Zone 1 (0–5 feet) uses noncombustible materials only; Zone 2 (5–30 feet) uses fire-resistant plants with spacing to prevent fire spread; Zone 3 (30–100 feet) thins vegetation to reduce fire intensity.
The challenge is to make these zones feel like gardens, not firebreaks. Fire-resistant plants are often beautiful — succulents, rock gardens, deciduous hardwoods with high moisture content, ground covers that stay green.
Therefore
around any building in a fire-prone area, create three concentric zones: an innermost zone of noncombustible surfaces (gravel, stone, concrete) that still feels like a courtyard or terrace; a middle zone of fire-resistant, well-spaced plants that reads as a curated garden; and an outer zone where native vegetation is thinned but not eliminated. The goal is a landscape that is beautiful, ecologically alive, and fire-resistant — not a moonscape with a house in the middle.