How to Maintain Your Defensible Space

Maintaining plants in this zone will help slow down and reduce the energy of the wildfire, slowing its advance to your building. Tree and brush spacing should force any fire in the tops of the trees, brush, or shrubs to drop to the ground.

The rate of spread and flame length of a wildfire is affected by slope. A steeper slope will result in a faster-moving fire with longer flame lengths.

1. Remove dead plant material and tree branches from vegetation on a regular maintenance schedule.
2. Create islands or groupings of vegetation.
3. Remove lower tree branches.
4. Maintain trees with a minimum horizontal spacing of 10 feet between crown edges.