Prescribed fire in longleaf pine

Recently the news was full of the devastating wildfires wreaking havoc around Los Angeles, California. With several fires active in the area, over 57,000 acres were burned, and thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed. Investigation into the origins of the various fires is still underway, however drought conditions in the region were a major factor in the fires’ devastation. Lush growth from spring rains, followed by hot and unusually dry conditions later in the year, created an abundance of dry organic material which served as fuel to carry the fire across the landscape.

Lessons We Can Learn

It would serve us well to heed the lessons of the California wildfires, and cast a critical eye across our own landscape. The Sandhills region, with acres of longleaf pine and wiregrass, was literally designed by nature to carry fire and is particularly vulnerable to wildfires. Currently, out of the 13 NC Forest Service districts in the state, the Sandhills region (District 3) has had the most wildfires so far in 2025, with seven fires, as well as the most acreage burned (65.6 acres). Richmond County regularly ranks number 1 for the most wildfires in all 100 counties in the state.

Luckily, efforts by the NC Forest Service, private landowners, and the non-profit Sandhills Prescribed Burn Association are working to limit the risk of wildfires by reducing the amount of fuel on the ground in managed forestlands. This is done by performing a “prescribed burn”, which is performed during safe weather conditions, under the direction of a certified burner and with crews that manage the fire to prevent it from getting out of control. By keeping the ground fuel at a minimum, it is much less likely that a wildfire, starting from a lightning strike, trash pile burning, or tossed cigarette butt, will start an out of control conflagration.

One of the biggest challenges of the Los Angeles fires was that, while they were technically wildfires, due to the dense development in the region it was particularly difficult to control as the fire spread from trees to houses, businesses and other structures. Are we vulnerable to a similar disaster from a wildfire? Research has shown that flying embers, which can be carried considerable distances by wind, is a main driver of structural loss to wildfires. A program called Firewise, developed by a retired US Forest Service fire scientist, provides information and guidance on protecting homes based on a 200’ perimeter of protection, called the Home Ignition Zone (HIZ). Within the HIZ, there are several smaller zones, and for each zone there are firewise management recommendations. For example, the “immediate zone” (the house and out 5′ from the foundation) has several recommendations: keep roofs and gutters free of leaves, pine straw, or other potentially flammable debris; keep shingles in good repair to prevent embers from penetrating the roof; and keep flammable materials such as stacks of firewood away from the house foundation. Rather than using pine straw as mulch, which is highly flammable, consider other mulches such as oak leaves or pine bark mulch which, while still flammable under extreme conditions, are less likely to catch fire and spread flames (best is rock or gravel at the house foundation). There are even plant recommendations to reduce fire risk: deciduous plants (those that lose their leaves in winter) and succulent plants (with thick leaves) have a lower fire risk than evergreen shrubs such as junipers or rosemary, or thick ornamental grasses such as pampas grass; avoid planting vines to grow up the outside of the home.

There’s always a balance in life between minimizing potential danger and living in such a way that opportunities, joys, and interests are constrained. You probably don’t want to have concrete or gravel all around your house foundation just to protect against a possible wildfire someday. On the other hand, there are several good reasons to keep roofs clean of pine straw, gutters clean of debris, and to follow other good maintenance practices that can also reduce risk of loss in the, perhaps unlikely, event of a wildfire. If you’d like more information about ways to make your home and property “Firewise”, call us at N.C. Cooperative Extension, Richmond County center, at 910.997.8255.