24
May

The first two zones closest to the house are the most crucial when it comes to mitigating wildfires and protecting the house. Zone 2 starts at 30ft from the house and covers up to 100ft. If your property boundary is within 100ft of the house, you will need to do your best to mitigate up to that point.

The topography is going to affect some of the steps you take, as it will affect the spread of a fire. It’s rare to live on a perfect circle or perfectly flat ground, so you’ll need to deal with slopes. The steeper the slope, the slower fires will spread unless they have the wind to help.

Watch Out for Drought Conditions

If you have a lot of trees around you, make sure you keep an eye on any drought conditions. Trees and plants that are stressed from drought will set fire much more easily. You’ll need to manage any alder, cottonwood, ash, sycamore, willow, and other vegetation along a streamside if you have one.

You can have more trees and shrubs than in Zone 1, but you still need to space them widely. If you are on flatter ground, you’ll want trees to be spaced at least 60ft apart. When you’re on a slope that is on a 30 angle, you’ll get away with trees being spaced 30ft to 40ft apart. Smaller shrubs can be closer together, with around 20ft between them.

Know the Best Trees to Keep

Get rid of the junipers and pinyons in the area. Like in Zone 1, they are the most flammable and you want to do your best to slow down the fire. You’ll want to turn to alders, oaks, maples, and other hard woods. They are much more resistant to fire, slowing down the problem.

You’ll want the lowest limb to be at least twice the height the grass will reach in the summer. You’ll also want to limb to around 10ft. While some smaller trees may not survive the fire, keeping the limbs high prevent ladder fuel to protect the older trees.

Once you do cut the limbs, get rid of the wood. Avoid leaving anything on the ground that can be used for fuel by the fires. If you are going to create woodpiles, make sure the grass around it is cut with a distance of 10ft from the pile and reaches no more than 3in high. You can get away with leaving some grass, but trim it away from the driveway, and make sure all limbs that overhang the driveway are cut back at least 15ft.

Prepare for Zone 3

After Zone 2, you’ll get Zone 3. Not everyone will be able to manage anything here as your property boundary may not reach that far. If the property boundary allows, have a 30ft gap between the Zone 2 and Zone 3 tree canopies. You won’t see a difference from the house, but you create a buffer from the fires.

If your boundary doesn’t reach 100ft from the house, you’ll need to create the tree canopy break from where the boundary is. The work on the other side will be the responsibility of whoever owns that la