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Kauri is included in a 60-species shoot study, a quantitative assessment of flammability across tree and shrub species. Its supporting lineage can be checked against the corresponding entry in the evidence table.
The pack remains limited evidence. That status is tied to the available source coverage for Agathis australis, which is preserved in the cited rows rather than expanded by editorial inference.
Kauri is also recorded as on-list. The source behind that recommendation is retained separately in the listing evidence, so the list entry and the shoot-flammability lineage remain distinct parts of the record.
Form
tree
Region
New Zealand; United Kingdom
Rated in
Global; New Zealand
Uses
timber
On this lot
1. Fire evidence and conditions
Fire evidence
Fire-resistant — location does not change the cited classification.
Fire-performance conditions
Fire ecology context
Placement evidence
Evidence regions
Global; New Zealand
Maintenance
2. Why this plant is relevant here
State distribution
Native range
Introduced / established
USDA hardiness
3. Legal, ecological, and broader status
Legal-list status
Seed-list status
Reported invasive here
Broader regional context
Federal context
How to read this page
The status above is computed from the cited rows below: independent recommendations can support a fire-resistant result, an avoid row can produce keep-away, and disagreement stays visible as conflict. Placement notes preserve each source’s own scheme rather than translating unlike rules into one scale. This is evidence about a plant, not permission to plant it in every part of the defensible space; Zone 0 remains noncombustible.
The evidence
Grouped by what each source concluded. Primary evidence rated the plant itself
(a lab, field program, or original curation); corroboration compiled or
republished another source's rating and resolves to its root lineage.
Shoot category from the paper's cluster analysis; samples were air-dried for 24 hours before testing.
Mid-scale / conditional (1)
Low Flammability Plants directory — Fire and Emergency New Zealand (plant flammability testing at Lincoln University) · 2026 · original sourcePrimary evidenceLab-testedlineage: lincoln-nz-tree
“Moderate flammability”
Moderate flammability classification.
Listed without a rating (21)Corroboration (21 rows from 1 source)
21 cited rows from this source; its identity, lineage and tier are stated once.
Primary study Belcher2016: Belcher, C. M. (2016). The influence of leaf morphology on litter flammability and its utility for interpreting palaeofire. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 371, 20150163.
Shared row context: plant part litter; fuel all; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Belcher2016-1; sampling ND.
Primary study Cui2020a: Cui, X., Paterson, A. M., Wyse, S. V., Alam, M. A., Maurin, K. J. L., Pieper, R., ... Curran, T. J. (2020a). Shoot flammability of vascular plants is phylogenetically conserved and related to habitat fire-proneness and growth form. Nature Plants, 6, 355-359.
Shared row context: plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Cui2020a-1; sampling ND.
“ignition frequency (%): 69.2”
FLAMITS record 1327; Ignitability measurement.
“maximum sample temperature (°C): 323.7”
FLAMITS record 1521; Combustibility measurement.
“burning duration (s): 8.8”
FLAMITS record 1715; Sustainability measurement.
“estimated burnt biomass (%): 10.4”
FLAMITS record 1909; Consumability measurement.
Primary study Jervis2012: Jervis, F. X. (2012). Application of fire calorimetry to understand factors affecting flammability of cellulosic material: Pine needles, tree leaves and chipboard. PhD. Dissertation. University of Edinburgh.
Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Jervis2012-2; sampling spring.
“time to flaming (s): 83”
FLAMITS record 5302; Ignitability measurement.
“calorific value (kcal/kg): 1649.14”
FLAMITS record 5303; Combustibility measurement.
“flaming duration (s): 19”
FLAMITS record 5304; Sustainability measurement.
Primary study Mason2016: Mason, N. W. H., Frazao, C., Buxton, R. P., & Richardson, S. J. (2016). Fire form and function: evidence for exaptive flammability in the New Zealand flora. Plant Ecology, 217, 645-659.
Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device muffle furnace; site Mason2016-3; sampling summer.
Primary study Wyse2016: Wyse, S. V., Perry, G. L. W., O'Connell, D. M., Holland, P. S., Wright, M. J., Hosted, C. L., ... Curran, T. J. (2016). A quantitative assessment of shoot flammability for 60 tree and shrub species supports rankings based on expert opinion. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 25, 466-477.
Shared row context: plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Wyse2016-1; sampling ND.
