Protect Your Property: Dealing with Vegetation and Combustible Materials
What You Can Do
Wildfire protection can involve a variety of changes to your house and property
-- changes that can vary in complexity and cost. You may be able to make some
types of changes yourself. But complicated or large-scale changes and those
that affect the structure of your house or its electrical wiring and plumbing
should be carried out only by a professional contractor licensed to work in
your state, county, or city. One example of wildfire protection is removing
vegetation, yard debris, and other combustible materials that may be near your
house. This is something that many homeowners can probably do on their own.
Remove Vegetation and Combustible Materials
If the area immediately surrounding your house contains trees, shrubs, and
other vegetation; yard debris; or other materials that burn easily, your house
will be at an increased risk of damage during wildfires and forest fires. These
combustible materials provide a path by which fire from nearby areas can reach
your house.
As shown in the figure, you should clear the area around your house. Shrubs,
brush, woodpiles, and combustible debris should be removed within a radius of
30 feet. The distance between your house and any nearby tree should always be
greater than the height of the mature tree or at least 10 feet. Similarly, any
outbuildings, such as storage sheds, should be at least as far away as their
height.
Tips
Keep these points in mind when you remove vegetation and other combustible
materials from around your house:
-
Removing large trees near your house can be very dangerous, for both you and
your house, and is therefore a job for a skilled contractor.
-
Rather than plant shrubs near your house, consider landscaping alternatives
such as creating a rock garden.
Estimated Cost
If you hire a contractor to remove a large tree, you can expect to pay about
$300 to $500. The charge for removing smaller trees and shrubs will be less.
Other Sources of Information
"Five Hot Tips for Homeowners on the Edge," by Herbert McLean, in American
Forest, vol. 99, no. 5-6, 1993
Guide to Landscaping for Fire Safety, 2nd. Ed., University of California, 1992
"Firescaping: Ways To Keep Your House and Garden from Going up in Smoke," by
Joan Boulton in Horticulture, The Magazine of American Gardening, vol. 69, no.
8, 1991
Protecting Residences from Wildfires: A Guide for Homeowners, Lawmakers, and
Planners, Technical Report No. 50, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1981