Firescaping: It's Imperative

Firescaping isn't just a good idea anymore. It's imperative. And needs to be done around every home. Following are the basic outlines for clearing around houses.

  • Topic: Xeriscaping
  • Author: Cindy Bellinger
  • Keywords: fire, drought, fire resistant plants, Maintenance
  • Date: November 2003

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We can’t let the latest moisture lull us into complacency. The drought continues as do the bark beetles. Our trees are dying and one match, one cigarette butt could bring us what California just went through.

Firescaping isn’t just a good idea anymore. It’s imperative. And needs to be done around every home. Following are the basic outlines for clearing around houses.

Zone One is a 30-foot cleared area surrounding a house. Concrete or brick patios in this area are ideal as well as low ornamental shrubs. If trees are to be planted in this first zone, they need to be deciduous.

Zone Two moves out another 70 feet and is good for orchards, gardens. Lower limbs of trees should be pruned to 15 feet off the ground.

Zone Three is another100 feet from the house. Crowns of trees should be separated by at least 10 feet. Prune branches to a height of 10 feet.

Further tips

  • Remove branches within 15 feet of chimneys and stovepipes.
  • Create fuel breaks wherever possible with such items as pools, fountains and non-flammable fences. Lay rock, gravel, brick and paving in wide-open areas.
  • On steep slopes plantings need to be far apart to discourage fire from climbing up a hill.
  • Reduce the fire fuel so it doesn’t “ladder” up from the ground into trees.
  • The types of plants near a home are an essential part of firescaping. Please call our nursery department at 428-7368 for help in selecting fire resistant plants.