Posts Tagged ‘49er fire’

After a wet and cold December you may not even be thinking about summer, but now is the time to start thinking about Summer wildfire protection. Preventative measures now will pay off this coming summer.

First start off by surveying your property, ask yourself “do I have sufficient defensible space?” You should have 10′-15′ of defensible space around any structure. Defensible means clear of any dry grass or debris. Look at your landscape are your plant selections “fire smart”. Conifers and Eucalyptus often have high amounts of resins, meaning they are extremely flamable. Do you have allot of dry or dead vegetation near structures if so now’s the time to prune and clean that up.

Secondly look at your property lines. A safe fire barrier is 30′ of defensible space. Clean up debris, prune trees, if needed apply a good pre emergent weed killer. You want a solid 10′ between the crowns of trees to prevent the fire from jumping from tree to tree.

Another big mistake in many landscapes is the use of bark near structures. Remember bark is highly flammable and hard to control if on fire, a reality we experienced here during the 49 fire in August. Look at options, STEPABLES is a ground cover line perfect for area with foot traffic where you want weed or erosion control. Make sure to keep these plants healthy by feeding them a great fertilizer like Fox Farm Tiger Bloom Liquid Fertilizer… serious magic in a bottle!

A little effort now could save your home in the future. There are NO absolute “fire retardant” plants. But making a smart choice with your landscape and regular up keep will provide that much needed defensible space in those hot hot summer days.

Need help with wildfire prevention? Don’t be shy… reach out and contact us anytime!