Defensible Space
According to CAL FIRE, establishing and maintaining a defensible space, coupled with home hardening, is essential to improving your home’s chance of surviving a wildfire. Defensible space is the buffer that we create between a building on your property and the grass, trees, shrubs, or any wildland area that surrounds it. This buffer space is needed to slow or stop the spread of wildfire and it helps to protect your home from catching fire—either from airborne embers, contact with direct flame, or radiant heat. Proper defensible space also provides firefighters a safe area to work in to protect your home. SEE MORE
Zone 0 – Ember-Resistant Zone extends 5 feet from buildings, structures and decks.
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Use hardscape like gravel, pavers, concrete and other noncombustible mulch materials.
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Remove all dead and dying weeds, grass, plants, shrubs, trees, branches and vegetative debris.
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Remove all branches within 10 feet of any chimney.
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Limit plants in this area to low growing, nonwoody, properly watered and maintained plants
Zone 1 – Lean, Clean and Green Zone extends 30 feet from buildings, structures, and decks.
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Remove all dead plants, grass and weeds (vegetation).
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Remove branches that hang over your roof and keep dead branches 10 feet away from your chimney.
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Trim trees regularly to keep branches a minimum of 10 feet from other trees.
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Create a separation between trees, shrubs and items that could catch fire.
Zone 2 – Reduce Fuel Zone extends from 30 feet to 100 feet out from buildings, structures, and decks.
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Cut or mow annual grass down to a maximum height of 4 inches.
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Create horizontal space between shrubs and trees.
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Create vertical space between grass, shrubs and trees.
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Remove fallen leaves, needles, twigs, bark, cones, and small branches.