Article by Sam Waggener, City of Lone Tree Forester
The month of May is wildfire awareness month, this is a great time of year to do a good spring cleaning for your yard/property. This should include mowing, weeding, pruning/thinning, raking leaves and pine needles, as well as checking your irrigation system for efficient use. Protecting your home is YOUR responsibility! In terms of fire mitigation, you should follow the zone/area concept.
Where to start – the Zone/Area Concept
The area closest to your home is zone 1 (the fuel area), is the 0 – 5 feet from the wall of your home. This area should be looked at first. Zone 1 should either be free from all vegetation, or have non-flammable plants (listed below). Next is zone 2- the transition area, which covers the 5 – 30 feet beyond the walls of your home. The last zone is the extent of fuel modifications area, 30 ft- 100 ft or more. All areas should be managed differently and may extend into your neighbor’s property, it is best to come up with a management plan talking to your neighbors, so everyone is on the same page.
What does spring cleaning entail? The number one thing a property owner can do is clean up dead materials, along with debris and trash. During the fall/winter/spring/summer months weather patterns can create eddies, which create areas of debris, such as leaves, litter, and trash. This area can accumulate next to buildings, fences, trellises, and this can be easily ignitable if dry.
Taking mechanical measures
Mowing is critical, especially open space grasses. Long grasa can burn quickly carries fire well. Make sure to mow grass low around the house, garage, deck, firewood piles, propane tanks, shrubs, and trees with low hanging branches. Try to compost raked leaves. Another option is to mow your leaves to create natural fertilizer for the spring and summer months.
Cut back any ornamental grasses or perennial flowers/shrubs, cutting back all the dead material from last year’s growth. This is to ensure this year’s growth has room to grow and receive the sunlight it needs. Prune back shrubs, take all the dead material out as it serves no purpose to the plant anymore. Pruning of plants should be looked at from a regenerative perspective- if plants have dead material on them, they are still sending nutrients to that part of the plant when those sugars and resources can be used more efficiently elsewhere. Another thing to look out for is ladder fuels, which allow fire to travel from the ground into shrubs and then into trees. Look for long grass that “ladder” into low hanging branches or shrubs that are close to the home stretching into eaves and nearby trees.
Spacing for paths and walkways
Spacing is key, so make sure you are looking at the spacing of vegetation in your yard. It is better to have breaks in the landscaping, which can include areas of rock or concrete, as well as bunched landscaping. Look for mosaic-breaks 15 – 20 feett in diameter, or 2.5 times the size of an area. Another way to look at your landscaping efforts is that you are creating shaded fuel breaks. Shaded fuel breaks are areas of landscaping that have been modified to act as a defensible landscape should a fire occur.
Boarders such as concrete, flagstone, retaining walls, driveways, walkways, rocks, and metal edging can create a great barrier to stop flames from traveling to other locations on the property. Make sure beds are free from weeds and, if mulched, watered regularly. Mulch beds are great for tree and plant health but can easily ignite if dry.
Watering on schedule
Irrigation maintenance is key this time of year, repairing any breaks or leaks in the system that may have occurred over winter. Make sure you put a watering schedule in place to keep the property moist, not saturated. Irrigation should be checked weekly to ensure proper coverage as well as any leaks that might have occurred. This should also be adjusted for the season.
Picking the right plants
Plants create sugars to move water and nutrients to roots and leaves. Some plants are better than others when it comes to fire mitigation- plants that have oils, terpenes, and resins burn more quickly and at a higher rate. Plants that produce saponins, latex, and pectin will not burn as easily.
Next Steps
If you would like to have a professional assessment for your yard, State foresters and your local fire department can always provide one. Colorado State Forest Service provides site visits at the rate of $85.00 per hour. You can also check out these additional landscaping tips from South Metro Fire Rescue.