Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
Tropical trouble could stir near Southeast beaches around 4th of July. Get details Chevron right
Severe storms, flash flooding to bring July Fourth holiday travel hassles. Get details Chevron right

Columbus, OH

81°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

81°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Weather News

Why some plants can withstand wildfires better than others

By Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather senior editor

Published Nov 27, 2018 4:07 PM EDT | Updated Jul 8, 2019 10:22 PM EDT

Copied

The devastating Camp fire became a massive blaze that engulfed more than 153,000 acres, killing at least 85 people and destroying nearly 14,000 homes in northern California. The fire is now 100 percent contained, fire officials said on Novem. The New York Times notes that containment doesnt mean the fire has been completely extinguished, just that firefighters have created a line around it.

One of the key components to the development of wildfires across the western United States is the amount of fuels that are readily available to cause fires to spread more rapidly.

In California, the abundant vegetation that has grown following wet winters the past several years has dried out during the spring and summer seasons. This combined with weather factors such as low humidity and strong winds provides optimal conditions for fire development.

While there is no such thing as a fireproof plant, some burn less easily than others and that comes down to a plant's chemical composition.

Plants that are flammable are often that way because of their chemistry, according to Peter Fulé, a professor in Northern Arizona University’s School of Forestry.

wildfire August 2018

A firefighter battles the Holy Fire burning in the Cleveland National Forest along a hillside at Temescal Valley in Corona, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

AP Photo

“They often contain chemicals that have a lot of substances like waxes and resins that burn very easily,” Fulé said.

These waxy substances are useful for plants that grow in drier climates because it helps cover their leaves and protects them from losing water.

RELATED

AccuWeather predicts 2018 wildfires will cost California total economic losses of $400 billion
The most common ways people spark devastating wildfires in the US
How forest fires play an essential role in natural life cycles of plants, wildlife

The shape of plants also comes into play when it determines how flammable they can become.

“A lot of shrubs in particular are relatively low to the ground and often provide fuel that is kind of nicely spaced so the wind can get in there very well and make it burn quite well,” Fulé said.

On the opposite end, more fire-resistant plants are typically those that lack that waxy characteristic and do not readily ignite from a flame or embers, according to Firefree.org.

Other characteristics of fire-resistant plants, according to Firefree, are:

  • Leaves that are moist and supple

  • Plants have little dead wood and tend not to accumulate dry, dead material within the plant

  • Low sap or resin materials

Larger plants, such as trees, are able to withstand wildfires, but that pertains more to the type of wildfire than the natural material of the tree.

In the U.S., the two main types of wildfires are crown fires and surface fires.

Surface fires spread quickly along the ground and are one of the primary fire regimes that occur in forests.

“Typically, in a surface fire, the larger trees do survive. The fire passes underneath them. It may damage them, but it doesn’t kill all of them,” Fulé said.

Trees have natural adaptations to fire, such as developing a thick bark which insulates the base of the tree to the ground level.

They carry their limbs pretty high up in the tree so the flames pass by but don’t scorch too many of the leaves because the leaves that are actively growing are higher in the tree, according to Fulé.

A crown fire is a more destructive fire, which moves from one crown of the tree to the other. Whole mature trees become giant torches and flames pass from tree to tree in the forest canopy.

“Pretty much every kind of tree dies when the crown of the tree catches on fire,” Fulé said.

A big part of wildfire prevention strategies has involved finding more fire-resistant plants for homeowners to grow around their residences. In some instances, the concept of introduced vegetation has become an issue.

People plant attractive species like eucalyptus, which is native to Australia, and junipers because their easy to take care of. However, they burn very easily, according to Fulé.

Cal Fire provides a list of tips and certain species of plants that are drought tolerant help make landscapes around homes more resistant to blazes.

fire resistant plants graphic
Partner Module Enhancement
Report a Typo

Weather News

Recreation

Boulders narrowly miss swimmers at popular Utah waterfall

Jun. 27, 2025
Weather Forecasts

July 4 Forecast: Thunderstorms to focus over Upper Midwest and Florida

Jul. 1, 2025
Weather News

Girl, 8, rescued after 7 hours in flooded sewer in China

Jun. 27, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Severe Weather

Severe storms, flash flooding to bring July 4 holiday travel hassles

1 hour ago

Weather News

Storm chaser stages whirlwind proposal with real tornado

3 hours ago

Weather News

Tropical trouble could stir near Southeast beaches around 4th of July

1 hour ago

Astronomy

July offers rare meteor shower combo, stunning views of the Milky Way

5 days ago

Weather News

Flights cancelled as Atlanta airport recovers from severe weather

2 days ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Travel

Fourth of July gas hasn’t been this cheap since 2021

5 hours ago

Recreation

Two people rescued after going overboard on Disney cruise ship

6 hours ago

Weather News

Fossil reveals ‘Last of Us’-type fungus likely lived with dinosaurs

6 days ago

Health

'Inverse' vaccines may hold key to challenge autoimmune diseases

1 day ago

Weather News

World’s most liveable city for 2025 revealed

1 week ago

AccuWeather Weather News Why some plants can withstand wildfires better than others
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...