HOW TO FIREWISE YOUR HOME AND PROPERTY

HOW TO FIREWISE
YOUR HOME
AND PROPERTY

Protect Your Home & Property.

As homeowners, we have the most power to modify fuel conditions on our own properties, but it is not enough to only treat personal property. We need to work together to create
survivable space for the entire community, including potential greenbelt/fuel breaks, adequate infrastructure and planning in preparation for wildfire, and other measures. Call your local county Extension office, fire department, or Arizona Department of Forestry
and Fire Management to learn how you can help to play a role in making your community better able to survive wildfire.

Content found on this page is credited to: Firewise USA

Much of the Southwest is considered a high-hazard fire environment. Based on recent history and experience, these areas possess all of the ingredients necessary to support large, intense, and uncontrollable wildfires.

Within this hazardous environment are individual houses, subdivisions, and entire communities. Many homeowners, however, are ill-prepared to survive an intense wildfire. It is not a question of "if" a wildfire will occur, but when. As such, the odds of losing human life and property are growing.

Our ability to live safely in this fire environment depends on pre-fire activities. These are actions taken before a wildfire occurs that improve the survivability of people and homes. The National Firewise® Communities/USA program, administered by the State Forester,
helps communities to pursue a comprehensive approach to having a Firewise USA®

community.

The look of our Southwestern forests has changed dramatically during the Twentieth Century. In many instances, trees are smaller but are far more numerous. This situation has led to destructive fires in recent years. The build-up of fuel, coupled with recent insect and disease outbreaks, has greatly increased potential for severe wildfires. Climatic factors such as drought and warmer temperatures also play an important role.

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What is survival space?

Survivable Space has evolved from the term Defensible Space (see Frequently Asked Questions on pg. 20-21). It is the modification of landscape design, fuels, building materials, and maintenance that make a home ignition caused by wildfire unlikely, even without direct firefighter intervention. The size of the survivable space area is usually expressed as a distance extending outward from the structure and all attachments such as a deck. This distance varies by the type of wildland vegetation growing near the house and
steepness of the terrain.

On the “Vegetation and Slope Influence” chart presented on the next page, find the vegetation type and percent slope that best describes the area where your house is located. Then find the recommended survivable space distance for your situation.
For example, if your property is on flat land surrounded by grassland, your survivable space distance will extend out at least 30 feet from the sides of the house. If your house sits on a 25 percent slope and the adjacent wildland vegetation is dense or has tall brush, you will need to reduce hazardous fuels out to at least 200 feet from your home.

If the recommended distance goes beyond your property boundaries, contact the adjacent property owner to work cooperatively on creating survivable space for both properties.
The effectiveness of survivable space increases when multiple property owners work together. The local assessor’s office can provide assistance if the owners of adjacent properties are unknown. Do not work on someone else’s property without their permission.

Temporarily mark the recommended distance with flagging tied to shrubs, trees, or stakes around your home. This will be your treatment area for survivable space. Please note that these are recommendations made by professional fire managers and firefighters experienced in protecting homes from wildfire. They are not requirements, nor do they take precedence over local ordinances.

Ready. Set. Go.

The Ready, Set, Go! Program seeks to share information with residents on what you can do to successfully prepare for a wildland fire. Speak with your local fire department about your area’s threat for wildland fire and learn more about the wildland-urban interface (WUI).

READY - Be ready. Be Firewise USA®
Take personal responsibility and prepare long before the threat of a wildland fire so your home is ready in case of a fire. Create defensible space by clearing brush away from your home. Use fire-resistant landscaping and harden your home with fire-safe construction measures. Assemble emergency supplies and belongings in a safe place. Plan escape routes and make sure all those reading in the home know the plan of action.

SET - Situational awareness
Pack your emergency items. Know how to receive and stay aware of the latest news and information on the fire from the local media, your local fire department and public safety.

GO - Act early!
Follow your Personal Wildland Fire Action Plan (see website below). Doing so will not only support your safety, but will allow firefighters to best maneuver resources to combat the fire.

For more information, visit the RSG website at www.wildlandfirersg.org.

The Home Ignition Zone

Your house is more likely to withstand a wildfire if grasses, brush, trees, and other common forest fuels are managed to reduce a fire’s intensity. Survivable space is the modification of landscape design, fuels, building materials, and maintenance that would make a home ignition caused by wildfire unlikely, even without direct firefighter intervention. Create a
survivable space around your structures by removing, reducing, relocating, and replacing fuels and vegetation to slow the spread of wildfire. Include detached garages, storage buildings, barns and other structures in your plan. Survivable space involves a series of management zones in which different treatments are used. Not all properties extend into each zone.

Intensive Fire Reduction Zone

This is the Intensive Fuel Reduction Zone. It is the area of maximum modification and treatment. It consists of an area of at least 30 feet around the structure in which flammable materials and vegetation are removed and replaced with non-flammable decking or decorative stone and well-placed fire-resistant plants and groundcover. This distance is measured from the outside edge of the home’s eaves and any attached structures, such as decks or stairways.

Trees here are considered part of the structure, (the fewer the better) and are at least 10 feet from the structure. Choose deciduous trees over coniferous or fire-prone ones.
Remove “ladder fuels” from beneath trees.
Keep plantings within 3 to 5 feet of the walls to a minimum, especially if structure sides are flammable. Decorative gravel, flagstone, or concrete decking is recommended in this area.
Dry grass next to flammable structural components can easily ignite and carry fire that may cause a home ignition.
Succulent plants and other low growing, fire-resistant plants and groundcover are acceptable.
Do not stack firewood or store other combustibles in this zone.
Remove branches overhanging or touching the roof to a distance of a least 10 feet. Remove all branches within 15 feet of the chimney.

Tips

Avoid using high resin, fire-prone plant materials, as burning embers and surface fires can easily ignite them.
Succulent ground covers are good choices as are flowerbeds and vegetable gardens.
Broadleaf and/or deciduous trees are also good choices. Try to plant trees so that branches do not reach the structure, or prune branches back at least 10 to 15 feet away, especially near chimneys.
Keep grasses and lawns mowed short and at least 3 to 5 feet away from structures as they dry out quickly during fires and can be ignited easily by embers.
Look for fuel ladders of any sort, from plants to building materials, and rearrange or remove plants or other fuels as necessary.
Using gravel, flagstone, or non-flammable decking adjacent to structures can be an effective strategy to reduce the possibility of home ignition.

Moderate Fuel Reducing Zone

The size of Zone 2 depends on the slope of the ground where the structure is built. Typically, survivable space should extend at least 100 feet from the structure. See Figure 2 for the appropriate distance for your home’s survivable space. Within this zone, the continuity and arrangement of vegetation is modified. Remove stressed, diseased, dead, or dying trees and shrubs. Thin and prune the remaining larger trees and shrubs. Be sure to extend thinning along either side of the driveway all the way to the main access road. These actions help eliminate continuous fuel surrounding a structure while enhancing fire safety and the aesthetics of the property.

Thin trees and shrubs at least 10 feet between crowns, and more if on a steep slope. Crown separation is measured between canopies (outermost branches of a plant), not between stems.
Prune under large trees to a height of 10 feet. Remove ladder fuels from under trees.
Propane tanks should be at least 30 feet from any structures, preferably on the same elevation as the house. Keep flammable vegetation at least 10 feet away from these tanks. Use non-flammable fencing for screening if desired.
Stack firewood and woodpiles at least 30 feet away and uphill from structure. Keep flammable vegetation at least 10 feet from woodpiles.
Dispose of slash (limbs, branches, and other woody debris) removed from your trees and shrubs by chipping or by piling and burning as permitted. If desired, no more than two or three small, widely spaced brush piles may be left for wildlife purposes. Locate these toward the outer portions of your survivable space.

Tips

Use broadleaf trees to replace or buffer native pines and junipers in this area. Having
more deciduous trees than evergreens in this area is a good strategy to keep flames on
the ground and out of the trees.
Isolated or small groupings of trees or shrubs are best to create screening and privacy.
Many species of cacti and succulents such as prickly pear or agave can thrive in
mountain climates and should be considered for this area.
Native grass lawns and recreated meadows are also possibilities for this zone. Use
drought resistant and low water use species. Seed a cleared area with native species,
combinations of warm and cool season perennial grasses, and annual and perennial
wildflowers.
Keep grasses and wildflowers under eight inches high, especially when dry or dormant.
Walkways and paths can be effective for breaking up fuel continuity so that it is difficult for a fire to carry.

Managed Wildland Zone

This is the Managed Wildland Zone. This is an area of native vegetation. This zone may extend at least 200 feet from the structure.

Typical management objectives for areas surrounding home sites or subdivisions are: recreational use; aesthetics; ecological health and vigor; barriers for wind, noise, dust, and visual intrusions; and possibly limited production of firewood, fence posts, and other natural resource commodities.
Specific thinning requirements depend on species and land objectives. Thinning improves the forest stand by removing trees that are damaged, attacked by insects, infected by disease, or are of poor form or low vigor. The remaining trees should be the larger and healthier trees in the stand.
A limited number of wildlife trees are appropriate in Zone 3. Make sure dead trees pose no threat to power lines or fire access roads.
It is a good idea from the standpoint of personal access and safety to prune trees along trails and fire access roads. Pruning helps reduce ladder fuels within the tree stand, thus keeping a fire on the ground, instead of in the crowns.
Any approved method of slash treatment may be acceptable for this zone, including piling and burning, chipping, or lop-and-scatter. Check local ordinances and your local fire department for guidance.
The effectiveness of survivable space increases when multiple property owners work together.

Tips

Proper thinning and pruning in this zone will make a significant difference protecting your home structures.
Re-sprouting of shrubs will happen and is acceptable. Monitor re-sprouting regularly to guard against the creation of ladder fuels, and thin and grub again when necessary.

Firewise Landscaping

Creating survivable space around your home is one of the most important and effective steps you can take to protect you, your family, and your home from wildfire. All vegetation, naturally occurring and otherwise, is potential fuel for fire. Plant choice, spacing, and maintenance are critical; where and how you plant can be more important than which species you use. Some important things to remember about plants are:

No plant species is totally “fireproof”.
Moisture content is the most important factor influencing flammability.
Plants with high resin content tend to be most readily flammable. Many native plants in arid environments, such as manzanita, juniper, and pine, are resinous.
Deciduous plants tend to be most fire resistant because leaves have
high moisture content.
Isolated or small groupings of trees or shrubs are best. Treat groups as individual vegetation units.
Use boulders, flagstone, rock walls, and other non-organic hardscape materials to separate planting areas.