Where the landscape meets the garden gate: fire risk perception and garden adaptation in Tasmania’s wildland–urban interface

Background

Wildfires increasingly threaten communities at the wildland–urban interface, where effective garden management is crucial for reducing house loss.

Aims

To understand barriers and opportunities for implementing garden wildfire prevention strategies by examining how residents’ risk perceptions align with assessed hazards and exploring factors influencing garden management decisions.

Methods

We conducted a multi-modal study of 23 homeowners in Greater Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, combining quantitative survey, qualitative interviews, mapping exercises and photo-elicitation. Gardens were classified into risk categories based on biophysical assessments of both garden and landscape fire hazards, and the social data were analysed according to this framework.

Key results

Significant discrepancies existed between perceived and actual hazards, particularly in zones closest to houses (0–1.5 m). While participants recognised landscape-level fire risks, they underestimated hazards in their own gardens and focused on plant flammability rather than spatial arrangement. Personalised garden hazard assessment reports effectively motivated change, especially among residents in high landscape-risk areas. Implementation barriers included knowledge gaps, resource constraints and emotional attachment to garden elements.

Conclusions

Garden fire risk reduction requires flexible frameworks that respect resident values while emphasising critical near-house zones.

Implications

Future interventions should combine property-specific assessments with community-based support systems to bridge the gap between awareness and implementation of garden safety measures.