At such times, left unmanaged, they can accelerate the spread of a wildfire through your neighborhood, threatening homes, property and lives. All vegetation, naturally occurring and otherwise, is potential fuel for fire. Its type, amount and arrangement has a dramatic effect on fire behavior. In fact, where and how you plant may be more important than what you plant. However, given alternatives, choose plant species that tend to be more resistant to wildfire.
Conifers tend to be flammable due to their oil and pitch content, regardless of their water content.
Deciduous plants tend to be more fire resistant because their leaves have higher moisture content and their basic chemistry is less flammable. Also, when deciduous trees are dormant, there is less fuel to carry fire through their canopies. In some cases, there is a strong correlation between drought tolerance and fire resistance. For example, a plant may shed its leaves or needles during extreme drought. Other drought-tolerant species may have smaller leaves or thick, succulent leaves.