The National Meadow Expansion Council has rolled out its Ignition-Resistant Native Overgrowth program, handing plaques to homeowners whose yards now function as vertical fuel stacks. The standard requires a continuous 14-inch ladder of dry stems from sidewalk to siding, turning every subdivision into a ready-made experiment.
Spokane’s HOA swapped its old grass rules for a 47-page density matrix that fines any exposed soil. Resident Betty Prospector summed up the new ethos: “Bare dirt is the real hazard.” Council director Morton Floret called the coming fire season “free validation data” for the next round of grants, then set a demonstration plot alight while praising its drought tolerance.
Residents in dry counties now compete to grow the tallest approved brush, while state planners redraw fire buffers around the very thickets they once cleared. The result is neighborhoods that look lush until the first spark arrives, at which point the awards and the flames arrive together.
