Protect Your Home with Defensible Space

Defensible space is the buffer zone around your home that’s designed to reduce the risk of wildfire.

Creating defensible space around your home is a crucial step in reducing the risk of wildfire damage. An effective defensible space will reduce flammable vegetation and materials around your house, which serves to slow down or even stop the spread of fire.

This proactive approach not only helps protect your property but also contributes to the safety of your entire community by reducing the overall fire risk. Homeowners can play an active role in wildfire prevention and preparedness, fostering a safer environment for everyone.

In thinking about defensible space, consider a series of zones surrounding your home. These concentric zones start at your home and radiate outwards. As you focus on your efforts, start with your home itself and the immediate five feet surrounding your home.

Zone 0 includes the home and extends from zero to five feet from any structure, attached desk, or outbuilding on the parcel. Zone 0 requires the most stringent wildfire fuel reduction, and is designed to prevent fires or embers from igniting materials that can spread to the structure.

Primary actions to take in Zone 0 include:

• Remove all combustible ground cover, such as mulch and bark, within 2 feet of all structures.
• Create a 1-foot vertical clearance from foliage to ground for any plants within 2 feet of the structure.
• Remove all tree branches that are within 6 vertical feet of the roof.
• Remove all material, such as branches, leaves, and needles, from the roof and gutters. This needs to be redone on a periodic basis.
• Trim trees to create 6 feet of vertical spacing between branches or foliage and ground.

Zone 1 focuses on the next ring around your house, where landscaping that creates breaks can reduce fire spreading to your home. Consider creating gaps between plants which can slow fire spread as you get closer to your house.

Key items to focus on in Zone 1 include:

• Trim trees to create 6 feet of vertical spacing between branches or foliage and ground. Eliminating fuel ladders will effectively slow alternate paths for the fire to grow.
• Remove ALL dead or dying trees and/or rubbish.
• Remove or cut grasses and weeds to a height of less than 3 inches or less.

In Zone 2, we are not trying to eliminate the fire, but to break up its path and keep flames smaller and on the ground.

 Key items to focus on in Zone 2 include:

• Trim trees to create 6 feet of vertical spacing between branches or foliage and ground.
• Remove ALL dead or dying trees and/or rubbish.
• Remove or cut grasses and weeds to a height of less than 3 inches or less.
• Remove ALL non-irrigated brush

By creating zones of defensible space, you are focusing your efforts on the area closest to the house, while creating natural breaks farther away that will reduce the chance that the fire will spread and approach your home. Additionally, you are creating zones that allow firefighters to have a safer area to work in, increasing the chances of successfully defending your property.

Maintaining defensible space is not a one-time task but requires ongoing effort. Regularly clearing debris, trimming trees, and maintaining your landscape can help ensure that your home remains protected throughout the fire season.

Additional helpful information about creating defensible space

NFPA Preparing Homes for Wildfire – review What is the Home Ignition Zone and Home Ignition Zone Checklist.

CAL FIRE Defensible Space