Planning Firescape
Firescapes are the entire area around your home. This isn’t just about your lot or the lots of your immediate neighbors. You want to look at the entire land form the mountains in the distance to the valley below them.It’s land
that is going to burn if fires get out of control. By understanding your firescape, you’ll be able to plan better should the worst happen.
How to Create Your Firescape
Just how much land do you need to cover? You want to look for your house on the map and draw a circle that is about a mile in radius around it. This is the amount of land that you need to consider to help keep yourself safe.
You’ll need to look at how the area sits. What is the terrain like? What are the levels of forests like? What type of trees are planted? What type of area do you live in?
In some cases, you will need to go further than the mile circle. You’ll create an oval because of the way forests or gills sit. For example, if you have a crest of a ridge near your home, you’ll need to see what’s on the other side and assess the risks of fire because of that terrain.
You can do all this just by looking from a high point on your land. A great option now is Google. Go to Google Earth and you’ll be able to see a 3D view of the land. It’s as if you’re looking from a helicopter.
Factor in the Wind Conditions
We’re all guilty of forgetting about natural things that don’t affect us in everyday life. The wind conditions will be on our mind during storms, but maybe not when initially planning firescapes. They should be, though. The wind conditions will have a direct effect on the direction the fires travel, and how fast they come from one side to another.
Most commonly, the fast downslope winds from the west are the reason for wildfires in Colorado. In Southern California, isn’t the winds from the east that are a problem. Look into your specific area and the types of winds that are considered the worst for your wildfires.
From there, you can take steps to mitigate the issue. While you can’t stop all wildfires from happening, but you can slow them down and take steps to protect your home. Give Colorado Mastication a call at (719)400-9104 to schedule a free estimate on creating defensible space.