How to Make Your Garden Fire Smart & Wildlife Friendly
Firescaping and wildlife gardening easily go hand in hand when you follow these straightforward tips from experts
- By Doreen Cubie
- Habitat Gardening
- Jun 25, 2025
LAST JANUARY, the nation watched in horror as devastating wildfires tore through more than 50,000 acres in and around Los Angeles. More than 16,000 homes, businesses and other buildings were damaged or destroyed, with total property damage estimated between $28 and $54 billion. Some 29 people were killed, and tens of thousands more were forced to evacuate.
When the flames finally were extinguished by the end of the month, it became clear that some buildings had escaped the fires, even when they stood right beside a house that had burned. Sometimes it was just a matter of luck. But often it turned out that residents of undamaged homes had used fire-smart strategies to protect their properties, including the way they landscaped their yards.
“As we saw in California, there may not be enough firefighters or other resources available to save your property,” says , professor emeritus at the University of Florida’s School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences. “Homeowners must do everything they can to ensure their house and yard can withstand a fire if help doesn’t come.”
He and other forest fire experts say the most important step in protecting your home is to create defensible space, which divides a property into three zones. Although recommendations vary somewhat depending on where you live, residents should prioritize the area between 0 and 100 feet from the house, says , a National Wildlife Federation assistant naturalist and principal author of an NWF firescaping tip sheet.
Within 5 feet of the house, called the immediate zone, remove all vegetation and mulch to create a buffer, they say. Moving out to 5 to 30 feet, the intermediate zone, Hardt recommends following the principle of “green, clean and lean.” Native shrubs, trees and flowers that are fire resistant can be added here, if well-spaced and properly maintained,” they say. In the extended zone, 30 to 100 feet from the home, you can add additional foliage.
Hardt points out that firescaping does not conflict with wildlife gardening. In fact, “wildfire-defensive design strategies sync well with those that support wildlife,” says , president of , who has spent years developing and promoting fire-prepared landscaping and wildlife habitat on Los Angeles properties. “Many of our most fire-defensive gardens are also National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitats®.” Here are some tips for combining firescaping with good wildlife habitat.
- Trees. Many trees that support birds, insects and other wildlife are also fire resistant, including native oaks, quaking aspen, black locust, hackberry and red alder. “It is best to minimize conifers such as pines,” Hardt says. “They are extremely flammable, but you don’t need to eliminate them entirely if they are natively dominant.” To find out what fire-resistant trees are native to your area, consult with a local native plant nursery, your county cooperative extension service or NWF’s . Just as important as choosing the right trees is proper maintenance. Keep trees well hydrated and cut down dangling branches, vines and tall grasses underneath. These can become “ladder fuels” that allow flames to climb into the crowns. Prune canopies so there’s at least 10 feet between trees.
- Shrubs and flowers. Choose fire-resistant natives such as a regionally indigenous snowberry species—perennials that nurture a multitude of bees and butterflies. Other options include Oregon grape, vine maple and blanket flower in the West and purple coneflower and prairie penstemon in the East and Midwest. , NWF’s naturalist, also recommends locally native annual flowering plants, which provide nectar to pollinators early in the year and usually die back before fire season starts.
- Lawns. Try to minimize lawn area and use options like buffalo grass—native to Great Plains states—or nongrass native cover plants when possible. Break up expanses of lawn with rock gardens, rock walls or ponds, which all provide wildlife habitat and can slow down a spreading fire.
- Mulch. Your choice of mulch is critical. Never use flammable mulches such as pine straw, and while leaves make excellent mulch benefiting many wildlife species, do not use them within 30 feet of structures. Mizejewski says the best choice is compostable wood chips, which are the least flammable and provide cover for ground-dwelling bees and other beneficial insects.
Protecting your home from fire is increasingly relevant nationwide, Mizejewski says. While the West is most at risk, the East and Midwest are not immune, because “the climate has changed and is continuing to change,” he says.
According to the federal , 22,759 wildfires burned 988,319 U.S. acres in the first four months of 2025, including fires in Florida, Maryland, Oklahoma, New York and South and North Carolina. “No matter where you live, in the coming years, no part of the country is going to be completely safe,” Hardt says.
Doreen Cubie is a science writer and wildlife gardener based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
More from National Wildlife magazine and the National Wildlife Federation:
Undaunted, Grad Students Return to the Field After Wildfires »
Burning Up »
