Live In Wildfire Country? How To Properly Protect Your Home
When you live in an area where wildfires are common, you need to make your property a defensible space. Making your property a defensible space includes taking care of vegetation and trees on your property. There are specific rules you are going to want to follow in order in order to keep your home safe.
#1 Get Rid of All Dry Vegetation
The first thing you need to do is get rid of all dry vegetation around your home. If you have wild grass growing around your home that tends to dry out during the summer, that means cutting down that grass and possible rototilling the area where the grass is growing.
If you raked up leaves or cut brush, you need to compost that material or get it off your property. Remove any dead plants that just didn't make it. Dry vegetation is basically fuel for a fire, so you want to get rid of it.
#2 Create Space Between All Trees and Bushes and Your Home
Next, you want to create space between all the trees and bushes around your home. Fire can easily jump from trees and bushes to your home when your trees and bushes come in direct contact with your home. That is why you need to prune all the trees and bushes around your home so that the tree limbs are not coming into contact with your home.
#3 Keep Tree Branches 10 Feet From Other Trees
Next, you don't want tree branches from one tree to overlap with another tree. Once again, fire can spread from one tree to another when the trees overlap. To prevent this, you need to prune all the branches of your tree so that they don't overlap. Prune your tree branches so they don't overlap and leave at least ten feet between the branches of one tree and others.
#4 Keep Your Grass Short
Finally, you need to keep your grass short. When your grass gets long, it becomes a fire hazard. Be sure to regularly mow your grass, including wild grass, around your home and keep it so it is only a couple of inches long.
If you live somewhere where wildfires are common, call your local tree service company and see if they can help you create a defensible space around your home. A tree trimming company can help prune your trees and vegetation, get rid of dead vegetation, and make your home a safe space.