Junipers and other high-hazard plants next to the house

Junipers are everywhere in older Reno and Carson City landscapes, often planted tight against the foundation. They are also one of the plants the guide singles out.

What does the Living With Fire guide say about junipers?

The Living With Fire guide names junipers, sage and other high-fire-hazard plants as plants to remove from Zone 0. It does not publish a long list of banned plants. It gives priorities: no combustible material in the first 5 feet, minimum flammable vegetation and open ground between plants in the next 25, and separation beyond that.

So a juniper 60 feet from the house in an open spot is a different matter than a juniper against the siding.

Why junipers get singled out

The guide does not explain why it names junipers, so we will not guess at the plant science. In practice, ornamental junipers planted under windows or beside the porch put a woody plant exactly where Zone 0 says nothing should be. For species detail, see our Utah juniper and ornamental juniper page.

A practical order of work

1. Remove junipers, sage and other high-hazard plants within 5 feet of the building, and clear the dead material under them.
2. Replace the strip with gravel, rock or pavers, or a few low, nonwoody plants with high moisture content.
3. Thin and space the plants from 5 to 30 feet so they form islands, not a connected line.
4. Keep what remains healthy and irrigated when possible.
5. Pull dead plants and branches out to 100 feet.

Does fire-resistant mean a plant will not burn?

A plant list that calls a species fire-resistant is about relative flammability when the plant is healthy and watered. In the high desert, plants dry out in summer and go dormant in fall and winter, and the guide notes that dormant plants hold less moisture and can burn easily. Placement, spacing and maintenance count as much as species. If your fire district publishes its own plant list, use it first.

Removing plants without making a weed patch

The guide warns that removing all vegetation can increase invasive weeds such as cheatgrass. Remove the hazard plants in Zone 0 and leave open, maintained ground; do not strip the whole lot. Our crew can remove the plants, grind stumps and haul the debris. Call 775.232.8243 for a free estimate.

Pine needles and mulch around the same beds

Beds with junipers often have bark mulch and pine needles too. The guide says to clear combustible mulch from Zone 0, to keep Zone 1 mulch in patches surrounded by decomposed granite or irrigated lawn, and to clear Zone 1 pine needles once in the spring. Fix the plant and the bed together.