elm

University of Tennessee Extension lists elm as a Firewise plant. The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension and Kentucky Division of Forestry name elms among the trees and shrubs that work well in defensible space. The South Carolina Forestry Commission places elm among less-flammable plants with some fire resistance, explaining that less-flammable plants resist fire better than plants that ignite faster and burn readily.

University of Florida IFAS Extension and the Florida Division of Forestry include winged elm in guidance naming less-flammable plants for defensible-space landscaping. Because the source uses that common-name label, the finding supports elm at the genus level rather than providing a separate species rating. Across the four sources, the practical judgment remains consistent even though Tennessee uses a Firewise table, Kentucky gives prose guidance, and Florida and South Carolina organize plants by flammability.

That agreement supports the fire-resistant classification, but the conclusion is appropriately modest: elm is recommended on limited primary evidence. It applies to elm as Ulmus, in the elm family, and should not be expanded into an individual rating for every species. For a homeowner choosing among landscape plants, these sources place elm on the more favorable side of the fire-resistance question.