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Vegetation as the enemy, that is a sad consequence.

Vegetation is the enemy in forest fires, for example. One of the main reasons that lone house survived the Maui wildfire[0] was because they properly managed vegetation, which prevented the embers from setting fire to the property via a bush that's way too close. Nothing prevents you from letting the rest of your backyard go wild if you prefer, but keep it away from your walls.

[0] https://www.npr.org/2023/08/24/1195331310/red-roof-house-fir...

Most/many structure fires that are caused by wildland fires start due to "ember cast" - hot embers carried by the wind (for distances, almost unbelievably, of up to a mile). While taking care of building-adjacent vegetation is an excellent step to reduce fire risk, it won't stop fires that start on the roof, or around the soffits, due to embercasting. That requires different approaches (roofing materials, careful roof/wall interface design and more).

ps. Firefighter II (volunteer), Santa Fe County, NM

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