Why Defensible Space is Important

Hello! This is Valkyrie from Faura. I’d like to tell you about something you’re probably only familiar with if you work in fire or live in an area with lots of fires: defensible space.

Defensible space refers to the area around any structure (from 5 feet to 100 feet+) that has been cleared specifically with the purpose of slowing down the rate at which fire spreads. By “cleared”, we mean managed in a way that keeps the grasses down, trees limbed up, and dead plant matter removed. This is one of the most important tools for residential wildfire prevention.

Out of the top 20 deadliest and most destructive wildfires, 13 of them happened in or after 2017. There are different factors that have led to this like climate change and the wildland-urban interface increasing in population (WUI) but one of the most compelling and one we can take action on is the lack of management of our forests and the space around our newly built structures. One study showed homes with 30 feet of defensible space surviving at double the rate of others who hadn’t done any vegetation management around their home.

Now, let’s break it down. How does keeping the fuel on the ground lower your chances of getting burnt up? Let’s put it this way: when you kindle a fire, you put together a bunch of wood pieces, throw them into a pit, and light them.

But if you have too little wood, the fire doesn’t catch or doesn’t burn for very long. It’s the same thing with the outside environment. If there is less flammable material on the ground (aka long grasses, tree limbs, wood chips, etc), the fire doesn’t burn as long. There’s very little fuel on the ground.

Photo by Tadeusz Lakota on Unsplash

We put a large emphasis on not just removing excess plant matter, but more specifically, dead plant matter. Let’s go back to the fire kindling example: what fuel burns the best and the longest? The dry wood. And what plant matter is pretty much devoid of any and all moisture? Dead plants. Plants that are no longer pulling water from their roots are the driest and therefore act like little fire crackers on the ground.

That’s why we put so much emphasis on clearing dead plants, fallen trees, and excess vegetation around dead plants so that it doesn’t become an even bigger problem if they do happen to catch.

So we’ve covered dead plants and clearing excess vegetation, what about my fir and pine trees that look so beautiful in the springtime? Sure, you may have big trees that look really nice but as far as we’re concerned, they are just waiting for a fire to come and set off an explosion.

Not all fire-prone trees need to be removed but if it’s in a tough area that leaves a lot of the space vulnerable, it may be worth looking into (especially if it leans over your home and touches any of your structures). Most oak trees are super fire-resistant and aren’t touched but if you’re unsure, always make sure to ask.

Photo by Meritt Thomas on Unsplash

The same goes for the flower and herb gardens near the base of the house like many people tend to have. If you were to flick a match into the garden, it would go up in flames and target your main structure, leaving you in a dangerous position. Move gardens outside of your main structure zone and out where they have some room to breathe. 

All these things go towards vegetation management. Many barriers of doing this kind of work are typically related to high costs/time requirements, lack of motivation, or an unclear understanding of the risk.

And this is understandable! This is a tedious process that tends to take a few thousand dollars just to maintain along with abiding by Cal Fire standards and applying for grants. 

Faura helps with all of that! We handle assessing your property, figuring out what your maintenance schedule looks like, vetting the proper contractors to do the work, and setting you up with your neighbors, reducing the time and money you have to spend to protect your home. 

You can reach out to us at valkyrie@faura.us for more information.