Placement and maintenance of trees and shrubs is as important as actual plant selection. When planning tree placement in the landscape, remember their size at maturity. Keep tree limbs at least 15 feet from chimneys, power lines and structures. Specimen trees can be used near a structure if pruned properly and well irrigated. Firescape design uses driveways, lawns, walkways, patios, parking areas, areas with inorganic mulches, and fences constructed of nonflammable materials such as rock, brick, or cement to reduce fuel loads and create fuel breaks.
Fuel breaks are a vital component in every firescape design.
Water features, pools, ponds or streams can also be fuel breaks. Areas where wildland vegetation has been thinned or replaced with less flammable plants are the traditional fuelbreak. Remember, while bare ground is effective from the wildfire viewpoint, it is not promoted as a firescape element due to aesthetic, soil erosion, and other concerns. A home located on a brushy site above a south or west facing slope will require more extensive wildfire safety landscape planning than a house situated on a flat lot with little vegetation around it. Boulders and rocks become fire retardant elements in a design.