sweetgum
Liquidambar styraciflua
A genus split is not a placement verdict.
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Sweetgum is rated fire resistant, with six sources reaching the same practical conclusion.
The agreement spans several kinds of guidance. Extension services in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Ohio recommend sweetgum, as do Washington State and Anaheim Fire & Rescue. The eastern Firewise plant selector gives it the safest band on its four-point scale. North Carolina’s extension service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service assign it low flammability, while Ohio State places it in the L band of a five-point scale. Ohio State’s finding also notes that sweetgum tolerates moist soils.
Those findings mean slightly different things. A place on a recommended list says the tree is acceptable for fire-conscious landscaping, while a graded rating compares its flammability with other plants under that source’s system. Their agreement across the Northwest, Midwest, eastern United States, North Carolina, and Southern California makes the overall case stronger than any single listing. Sweetgum is a high-water tree that reaches about 100 feet at maturity, so its mature size and water needs still matter when choosing a location. Fire resistant does not mean unable to burn, but the published guidance consistently places sweetgum among the better choices for a fire-conscious landscape.
- Form
- tree
- Mature height
- ~100 ft
- Water need
- high
- Rated in
- British Columbia; Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa; Catalonia, Spain; Global +18