If you live in Truckee, Tahoe City, or anywhere in the surrounding area, wildfire season isn’t just a news story, it’s a real concern. You can’t eliminate the threat entirely, but you can take steps to reduce the risk and improve your property’s chances of surviving a fire. The difference often comes down to creating defensible space. Here’s what you need to know – and how the requirements change the farther you get from your structure.
Key Takeaways
- Creating defensible space around your home involves maintaining three distinct zones (0-5 feet, 5-30 feet, and 30-100 feet from your structure) with increasingly stringent requirements as you get closer to your home.
- Zone 0 (0-5 feet from your home) should be free of flammable materials, including organic mulch, dead vegetation, and firewood, to prevent embers from igniting anything near your structure.
- In Zone 1 (5-30 feet), vegetation should be maintained in well-spaced “islands” with proper tree pruning to eliminate fuel ladders and maintain horizontal space between trees based on slope percentage.
- Zone 2 (30-100 feet) allows for more vegetation but still requires maintaining proper spacing between trees, keeping grass trimmed to 4 inches or less, and storing firewood at least 10 feet from other flammable materials.
- Homes that follow defensible space requirements are five times less likely to catch fire during a wildfire, though regular maintenance and a fire escape plan are also necessary for maximum protection.
How to Create Defensible Space Around Your Home
Though we all like to think that it will never happen to us, the truth is that a wildfire can strike at any time. Even a few small fires nearby can be a reminder of just how real the risk is in our area.
When a wildfire happens, you’ll want to ensure your home has adequate defensible space to give it the best chance to survive.
There’s a lot of confusion out there about what defensible space actually means – so we’ve broken it down into clear, actionable steps to help you protect your home and the people in it.
1. Remove Anything Flammable in Zone 0 for Maximum Protection
Zone 0 of defensible space covers the area up to five feet from your home. It is the last line of defense to protect it and should be the zone where you have the least amount of flammable material. Embers shouldn’t be able to light anything on fire in this zone.
“We’ve seen homes with beautiful landscaping lose everything because the mulch caught fire and carried flames right to the structure. In Zone 0, we always recommend removing wood chips or bark mulch and replacing it with gravel, flagstone, or something that won’t ignite. You don’t want anything flammable within five feet of your home – it’s the most critical buffer you can create.” – Antonio Herrera, Crew Lead at Arbor Solutions
Remove any dead vegetation, like weeds or pine needles, that may have collected in your gutters or on your roof. While you’re at it, check for overhanging branches within 10 feet of the structure and trim them back to reduce ignition risk.
Finally, remove anything else flammable that doesn’t need to be right by your home. This could include moving firewood, replacing combustible fencing with fire-resistant material, and reducing the amount of flammable outdoor furniture.
2. Keep Vegetation Light and Green in Zone 1
Zone 1 extends 5-30 feet from a structure and is where you can have some vegetation, as long as it is well-spaced and green. The main goal in this zone is to prevent a line of vegetation from leading directly to Zone 0 and your home.
Your first order of business should be to remove any dead vegetation, leaves, or needles from the area. Dead trees and shrubs, as well as their fallen foliage, are much more likely to catch fire.
Hire a professional tree service to prune your trees in Zone 1 to help keep space between them. Pruning has two main goals for protecting you from wildfire:
- Eliminating Fuel Ladders: Low branches can act like a bridge, allowing fire to climb from the ground into the tree canopy. Remove any branches within six feet of the ground – or within three times the height of nearby shrubs – to help stop fire from spreading to other trees or your home.
- Maintain Horizontal Space: Pruning can make trees more compact. You’ll want to ensure distance between trees to prevent the risk of fire spreading from one to another. On a slope less than 20%, it should be 10 feet. A slope between 20-40% should have trees spaced out 20 feet, and trees on extreme slopes of more than 40% should have at least 30 feet between them.
The goal in Zone 1 is to create “islands” of vegetation that can add beauty to your property without putting it at risk. You can use mulch in this zone if it is not a continuous layer.
3. Reduce the Fuel a Fire Will Have in Zone 2
Zone 2 covers everything from 30 to 100 feet from your home and has many of the same restrictions as Zone 1. However, the work you have to do in this area is much less intense than in those closest to your home.
You can keep grass in this area if you keep it trimmed to 4 inches or less. And while you should clean up fallen branches and needles, you can leave a layer up to three inches without worrying too much about wildfire.
This zone is where you should keep firewood piles, although you must ensure it is at least 10 feet from other flammable material.
Maintain the same distance between trees as you have in Zone 1 for maximum safety.
4. Maintain Your Property’s Defensible Space
Once you’ve gotten your property prepared adequately for a wildfire, your job is just beginning. You’ll need to maintain these conditions for your property and keep them in mind for future landscaping.
Perhaps you’d like to plant a new tree or shrub on your property. Not only will you have to choose a species you like the look of, but you’ll also need to ensure you have enough room to plant it. Keeping at least 10 feet from other trees lowers the risk of fire spreading to them.
Homeowners also need to create a plan on how to keep their yard healthy throughout the year. Schedule regular pruning with a professional company and water your grass to keep it green and well hydrated.
Frequently Asked Questions About Defensible Space
Creating defensible space is one of the most important things you can do for your property in the Greater Truckee-Tahoe Region. However, it is also something where there is a lot of confusion and misinformation. To help clear up some misconceptions, we’ve answered some common questions homeowners have about how and why to create defensible space.
Why is it important to create defensible space in the Truckee-Tahoe area?
Creating defensible space greatly increases safety during a wildfire. A study from CalFire found that homes following defensible space requirements were five times less likely to burn.
Is it worth removing all vegetation from my property for defensible space?
While removing all trees and shrubs from your property may seem like the safest bet, this isn’t necessary. Keeping an appropriate distance between trees and shrubs will significantly reduce the risk of wildfire damage while keeping your property beautiful.
Will creating defensible space make my home 100 percent safe?
No, even by following all defensible space requirements, there’s no guarantee your property will be 100 percent safe from wildfires. However, keeping your property and trees well-maintained through pruning and regular tree care will make your property much safer in the event of a fire.
Is there anything else I should do other than create defensible space?
Yes, you should create a fire escape plan and ensure every household member knows exactly what to do when a fire occurs.
Defensible Space Stars Here – Let Arbor Solutions Do the Hard Work
Creating defensible space can be daunting, especially when you have a large property and many trees. If you need help with wildfire mitigation, trust the team at Arbor Solutions to help.
We offer our pruning services year-round and can help you make your property more resistant to wildfire. And we’ll work with you to ensure you meet defensible space requirements without removing all your vegetation. Call us today at 530-580-8383 or request an estimate online for our defensible space mitigation services.
Lead Arborist James Piercy has worked in the tree service industry since moving to the Tahoe region in 1997. He has been an ISA Certified Arborist since 2004 and continues to provide expert recommendations and quality tree care throughout the region.
We publish monthly articles detailing tree care in the greater Truckee-Tahoe region. If you have a question about maintaining your trees, we may have already answered it on our Tree Care Blog.
