High Desert Approved and Prohibited Plant List

Deciduous Shrubs

Deciduous shrubs that shed leaves seasonally. The table’s height and width ranges are estimates, water tends to increase the values.

Planting Instructions:

Plant and water according to instructions. Separate shrubs by at least 1 diameter’s length from adjacent shrubs. Use the diameter of larger shrubs for the separation distance. Plant 5 feet from buildings and one mature diameter width from the tree canopy line.

Maintenance Instructions:

Well-watered plants with diluted concentrations of flammable chemicals may burn with reduced intensity Remove grasses and other weeds that grow in and around shrubs. Do not allow other plants to grow under or touch shrubs to mitigate the ladder fuel effect. Remove dead branches and leaves to minimize ladder fuel effects. Trim the grass around shrubs to a height of 4 inches. Trimming should be in a circular pattern with a diameter of twice the diameter of the plant.

Fire Intensity & Propagation:

Fire intensity and propagation may depend on specific shrub selection. Deciduous shrubs tend to be more fire resistant than evergreen shrubs due to lower content of flammable chemicals and their leaves have a higher moisture content. Well-watered plants may burn with reduced intensity. Ladder fuels are the biggest risk for shrubs igniting the shrub’s dead leaves and branches. The height and width of the plants are the plant’s fire load and its potential fire propagation size. Small shrub transport fire horizontally. Larger shrubs transport fire both vertically and horizontally because they have larger flame lengths increasing radiant heat output that can dry out and ignite neighboring plants.