Reducing Wildfire Hazard Around Your Home or Camp

Spring is a time for rejuvenation. Plants begin their annual process of growth providing us with beauty and a change of scenery as we transition into Summer. During this transition period, many people work to clean up around their homes and camps in preparation of spending more time enjoying the outdoors.  As you work to clean up around your property, I encourage you to also consider performing a few tasks to help reduce the fire hazard around your home or camp.

The hazards of wildfires are the greatest during Spring. Groundcover dries out very quickly, the weather tends to have lower relative humidity, and the warm spring breezes can blow ash and hot embers into areas that can quickly catch fire. Performing some tasks around your home or camp can add a layer of prevention in the event a wildfire occurs nearby.

From a fire prevention standpoint, the area around structures are broken into sections called home ignition zones.  Research on structure fires caused by wildfires have identified 3 ignition zones: Immediate Zone, Intermediate Zone, and Extended Zone.  This article will focus on a few things that can be done inside all three of these zones to reduce dangers from wildfires. been identified as 0-5 feet of your house or camp.

The Immediate Ignition Zone is the most vulnerable area in terms of embers igniting the structure and is identified as being within 0-5 feet of the structure.

1. Make sure the roof and gutters are clear of debris such as fallen leaves, needles, and sticks. Branches that overhang the roof and decks should be trimmed back.
2. Replace missing or damaged shingles as this could allow embers to penetrate the roof and catch it on fire. Keep in mind that Class A fire-rated shingles offer the best protection. This includes composite shingles, metal, clay tiles, and more. Wooden shingles are vulnerable to wildfires.
3. Add or repair 1/8-inch screen on vents found in the eaves and attic to keep embers from entering.
4. Add screen around decks and patios to prevent debris such as leaves from gathering in those areas.
5. Keep flammable materials outside of this zone. These could include plants that are considered flammable, debris such as leaves, and firewood piles. An often-overlooked flammable material commonly found against a house or camp is bark mulch.  Consider replacing mulch with crushed stone. Plants that contain oils, resins, and waxes are also considered flammable. Many evergreen trees and shrubs such as cedar and juniper are considered flammable as well as ornamental grasses and bamboo.

The Intermediate Ignition Zone is defined as the area that is between 5 feet and 30 feet from the structure. Most of the work that should be done in this area is focused on landscaping, but it should also include considerations for adding or maintaining fuel and/or fire breaks as well.

A fire break is essentially a gap in the vegetation, or any combustible material such as dry grass or leaves, that will stop a fire from burning across it. From a homeowner perspective this could be a paved or gravel driveway or road, sidewalks, or even a walking path.

A fuel break is a little different in that it may still burn if a fire reaches it. A fuel break is an area that has been changed from one vegetation type to another in order to slow down a fire that reaches it. This is accomplished by changing the fuel type from one that is very combustible to one that is less combustible or by reducing the amount of fuel in the break.  This could be as simple as maintaining a manicured grass area around your house or camp and raking the leaves in the Fall and Spring.

Other considerations in the Intermediate Zone include:

1. Keep vegetation and fuel sources away from propane, oil, or fuel tanks and wood piles.
2. Keep the grass mowed to a height of 4 inches or less.
3. Prune trees up to 10 feet above the ground to minimize the chance of a fire moving into the crown of a tree. This is especially important for evergreen trees.
4. Space trees to maintain a distance of 18 feet between the crowns to minimize the chances of the fire jumping from one tree to another.

The Extended Ignition Zone is defined as the area that is 30 to 200 feet from the structure. The main purpose of this zone is not to eliminate fire from the area but to keep the flames small and on the ground rather than in the trees. This is accomplished mainly through landscaping. A few things to consider in the Extended Zone include:

1. Dispose of accumulations of combustible debris and ground litter in the zone. This could be brush piles, leaves, or even a clump of dead shrubs. Dead trees, both standing and on the ground, should also be removed.
2. Remove small evergreens that are growing between larger, more mature evergreen trees and shrubs.  The small evergreen trees could become a ladder to allow fire into the crowns of the larger trees.
3. Trees that are 30 to 60 feet from the structure should have a minimum of 12 feet between the crowns. Trees from 60 to 100 feet from the structure should have at least 6 feet between the crowns.

There are many things that can be done to help minimize the dangers from wildfire around your house or camp. I encourage you to seek out more information about ways to protect your property from wildfires and take some time this year to apply some of these basic principles around your property. Resources about creating a Firewise landscape can be found on the website for the National Fire Protection Agency.