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What survives hail, drought, and embers at 7,000 feet
CSU Fact Sheet 6.305 does not score hail. It scores flammability 0–10, lists elevation and water, and prints there are no truly “fireproof” plant species. At 7,000 feet, Table 1 still includes natives listed 5–10K: Rocky Mountain penstemon (Penstemon strictus) score 8, L–M water; yellow stonecrop (Sedum lanceolatum) score 10, M water. Mountain mahogany is named among common flammable shrubs. This directory’s Cercocarpus montanus currently computes as avoid. Penstemon strictus and Sedum lanceolatum currently compute as on-list, limited-evidence.
You are at about 7,000 feet on the Front Range, looking at mountain mahogany and currant on a dry slope, and asking which of them belongs in the first thirty feet. CSU’s opened sheet answers with a score, an elevation band, and a water letter. It does not answer hail.
This is not a Colorado doorway. Colorado plant evidence combines 401 occurrence records with 114 exact CSU source owners, retaining score, elevation, water, and Idaho-carrier lineage.
Why it matters
Elevation is on the table. Hail is not. Treating “it lives at 7,000 feet” as “it is fire-resistant” plants the shrub CSU names as common flammable. Treating an on-list penstemon as Zone 0 plants it in the first five feet. CSU’s own Zone 1 is 0–5 feet and still a planting zone on that sheet. This site does not follow that into Zone 0.
Fire-resistant is not fireproof. Moisture as the governing factor is the same sentence AZ1289 prints. Those two sheets are not two independent votes when the CSU row stores an Idaho original.
How it works
CSU 6.305 (opened HTML, published May 2025, reviewed August 2025):
- WUI in Colorado: not if, but when.
- Defensible space zones from the structure: Zone 1 0–5 feet, Zone 2 5–30 feet, Zone 3 30–100 feet. This sheet is zones 1 and 2.
- Scores from Idaho Firewise methodology. 0 most flammable, 10 least. Plant only 8, 9, and 10 in the first 30 feet.
- There are no truly “fireproof” plant species.
- Moisture is the single most important factor governing volatility. Resin can keep a plant flammable even when well watered. Conifers tend to be flammable regardless of water content.
- Attributes that decrease flammability include low oil or resin, high moisture, compact form, drought tolerant.
- Most of Colorado’s native vegetation is adapted to fire and is flammable.
- Common flammable shrubs: Gambel oak, three-leaf sumac, and mountain mahogany. Planting those is discouraged in zones 1 and 2. If kept: prune, thin, remove dead material, keep at least 30 feet from any structure or other plants.
Rows on this directory that match the 7,000-foot question:
| Taxon | CSU 6.305 (opened) | This directory |
|---|---|---|
| Penstemon strictus | 5–10K, L–M, score 8 | On-list, limited-evidence. CSU row stores original: idaho-firewise-master-db. USDA includes CO. |
| Sedum lanceolatum | 5–10K, M, score 10 | On-list, limited-evidence. NativeStates includes CO. |
| Cercocarpus montanus | Named as common flammable mountain mahogany; not on the 8+ tables | Avoid, limited-evidence. Idaho 3 of 10. USDA includes CO. |
| Ribes aureum | Not on the opened recommend tables | Candidate, mid-scale. Idaho 6 of 10. USDA includes CO. |
See the steward rule. A CSU score that duplicates Idaho is one lineage.
The paths
| What you are asking | What 6.305 opened here says | What it does not say |
|---|---|---|
| Hail at 7,000 feet | Nothing. No hail column | That a 5–10K listing is a hail rating |
| Drought | Drought-tolerant decreases flammability; water letters VL through H | Fireproof because it is xeric |
| Embers / first 30 feet | Scores 8–10 only in zones 1 and 2 | Zone 0 as a planting list on this site |
| Mountain mahogany or currant by the wall | Mountain mahogany named flammable; Ribes not on the 8+ tables | A 7,000-foot native-plant exemption |
| Rocky Mountain penstemon or yellow stonecrop | 5–10K, scores 8 and 10 | A second independent vote besides Idaho on the penstemon row |
What people mix up
- Elevation band with a hail test. 6.305 does not score hail.
- Native Front Range shrub with on-list. CSU names mountain mahogany as flammable.
- CSU 8 and Idaho 8 as two votes on P. strictus.
- CSU Zone 1 (0–5 feet) as this site’s Zone 0 planting permit.
- AZ1289 and CSU 6.305 as two independent moisture sentences. Read the steward chip.
How to check
- Open CSU Firewise Plant Materials. Read the 8–10 rule, the no-fireproof sentence, the flammable-shrub sentence, and the elevation column on Table 1.
- Open Penstemon strictus. Read the
originalfield on the CSU row. - Open Sedum lanceolatum and Cercocarpus montanus.
- Open Colorado plant evidence. Distribution is not a recommendation.
- Do not plant in Zone 0.
Limits
This page quotes the opened CSU 6.305 HTML. It does not score hail; the sheet does not. The 2025 companion PDF on the plant-source record was not required once the HTML opened. Ribes was verified against the opened tables and is not listed there. Zone 0 is not a planting list.
Related records
- Penstemon strictus
- Sedum lanceolatum
- Cercocarpus montanus
- Ribes aureum
- Colorado plant evidence
- Which high-desert plants still hold water in June
- The steward rule
- Glossary: limited-evidence
- Glossary: Zone 0
Questions
What survives hail, drought, and embers at 7,000 feet?
CSU Fact Sheet 6.305 (May 2025 HTML, reviewed August 2025) does not score hail. It does score flammability from 0 to 10, list approximate water need and elevation, and print there are no truly fireproof plant species. Table 1 lists Rocky Mountain penstemon at 5–10K, score 8, L–M water, and yellow stonecrop at 5–10K, score 10, M water. Drought-tolerant is named as an attribute that decreases flammability. Mountain mahogany is named among common flammable shrubs discouraged in zones 1 and 2.
Can I plant mountain mahogany or currant at 7,000 feet near the house?
CSU names mountain mahogany, with Gambel oak and three-leaf sumac, as a common flammable shrub. Planting those species is discouraged adjacent to the home in defensible-space zones 1 and 2. This directory’s Cercocarpus montanus currently computes as avoid. Ribes aureum currently computes as candidate (Idaho 6 of 10) and is not on the opened 6.305 recommend tables.
Is a CSU score of 8 an independent vote from Idaho Firewise?
Not on Penstemon strictus. The stored CSU row on that record is marked original: idaho-firewise-master-db. The opened fact sheet says recommendations are based on a methodology developed by Idaho Firewise. See the steward rule. Do not count those two rows as two lineages.
Does CSU’s Zone 1 (0–5 feet) rewrite this site’s Zone 0?
No. The fact sheet recommends plants with scores of 8, 9, and 10 for zones 1 and 2 within the first 30 feet. This site still does not treat Zone 0 as a planting list.
Is this a Colorado doorway page?
No. The object is the 7,000-foot elevation band on CSU 6.305 versus the mountain-shrub records. Place claims sit on whereThisDiffers. The Colorado plant surface keeps 401 occurrence records distinct from 114 exact CSU source owners.