How can I create defensible space?
Defensible space is the area between your home and anything that could catch fire, like plants, trees, and nearby structures. Keeping this space well-managed makes it less likely a fire will reach your home and gives firefighters a better chance to protect it. Combined with fire-resistant building materials, defensible space greatly improves your home’s chances of surviving a wildfire. Defensible space is usually divided into three zones:
Zone 0 (0–5 feet from your home): Remove all flammable materials so embers can’t ignite your house. Clear vegetation, dry leaves, and pine needles from your roof, gutters, decks, and the ground near your home. Replace bark mulch with gravel or pavers. Trim branches and avoid storing combustible items here. This zone has the biggest impact on protecting your home.
Zone 1 (5–30 feet from your home): Keep trees, shrubs, and other plants at least 10 feet apart. Make sure outbuildings, like sheds or garages, have 10 feet of clear space around them. Trim branches at least 6 feet off the ground (more if you have steep slopes or thick shrubs). Keep grass short and choose fire-resistant plants that you maintain regularly.
Zone 2 (30–100 feet from your home): Thin trees and brush to slow fire spread. Keep grass mowed. Make sure outbuildings continue to have 10 feet of clear space around them.