Firewise Yards

Firewise Yards
Landscaping
Plants
Trees & Shrubs

Defensible space is the area between a house and an oncoming wildfire where the vegetation has been modified to reduce the wildfire threat and to provide an opportunity for firefighters to effectively defend the house. Create three defensible zones in your landscaping:

ZONE 1: 30 to 100 feet, moist and trim;
ZONE 2: 20 to 50 feet, low and sparse;
ZONE 3: 50 to 100 feet, high and clean.

The home on the left has firewise landscaping with three buffer zones of defensible space between the house and ignitable fuels. The home on the right has not created defensible space and is surrounded by ladder fuels, making it very vulnerable to wildfire.

When planning a FIREWISE landscape consider the following:

1) Use non-combustible roofing (asphalt, metal or clay tiles) and siding (log, masonite, stucco or brick) on your home.

2) Accessibility to your home is critical. The width, overhead clearance, grade and surface of your drive can make a difference in emergency response.

3) Keep plant material lean, green and clean at least 30 feet from home. Trim shrubs & trees regularly and remove any dead plant material.

4) Remove “ladder fuels” that help fire leap from grass to tree tops.

5) Avoid planting evergreens or other flammable shrubs within 5 feet of structures. These plants burn intensely and can be receptacles for * firebrands.

6) Remove debris from under decks & screen in posts or lattice with 1/4 inch screen.

7) Stack woodpiles at least 30 feet from your home and clear 10 feet on all sides. Place propane or other flammable gas tanks 30 feet from any structure.

8) Plant in small, irregular clusters and islands, not in large masses. The plants nearest your home should be more widely spaced and smaller than those farther away. Landscape according to the recommended defensible-space zones.

9) Use a variety of plant species to support a mixed and healthy landscape. Diversity of plants in the landscape will result in fewer insects and diseases and will better resist catastrophic fires.

10) Remove annual plants after they have gone to seed or when the stems dry out. Use non-woody (herbaceous) plants that stay green.

11) Use mulch to conserve moisture and reduce weed growth. Mulch can be organic (wood chips or small bark pieces) or inorganic (gravel or rock). Avoid pine bark, thick layers of pine needles or other materials that can easily catch fire.

12) Deciduous trees/shrubs are acceptable if they are kept green, free of dead limbs and all ladder fuels are removed.

13) Mow or trim grasses to a low height within your defensible space. Keep grass shortest in the inner part of your defensible space and no more than 6 inches high in the outer portions.