Prepare for Wildfire! Firewise Intermediate Zone is 5-30 ft from your home. (NFPA.org)
Preparing for wildfire season takes time and effort, but knowing you have taken the steps to protect your house can bring peace of mind. Join us as we explore the second part of our Weekend Wildfire Warrior series.
This week we are looking at the Intermediate Zone, 5-30 feet from your home or outbuilding. We will be examining the landscape/hardscape (patios, retaining walls, wood fences or arbors, etc.) and creating fire breaks.
In case you missed our article last week, the Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District recommends making your property and home more wildfire resistant by taking on the tasks one weekend at a time. Here is the link to the first task list on protecting the Immediate Zone around your house.
Wildfire Intermediate Zone Checklist:
- Clear vegetation from under large stationary propane tanks.
- Create fuel breaks with driveways, walkways/paths, patios, and decks. This may be a long-term project, but it is good to think about what fire breaks you already have and what you may want in the future.
- Mow lawns and native grasses to a height of four inches. Maintain this throughout the summer. Remember if it is brown, cut it down.
- Remove ladder fuels (vegetation under trees) so a ground fire cannot climb into tree crowns. Prune trees up to six to ten feet from the ground; on shorter trees do not exceed 1/3 of the overall tree height.
- Maintain tree spacing to have a minimum of eighteen feet between crowns, with the distance increasing with the percentage of slope.
- Tree placement should be planned so when the tree is mature its canopy is no closer than ten feet from the edge of a structure.
- Tree and shrubs in this zone should be limited to small clusters of a few each to break up the vegetation across the landscape.
Space trees farther apart in the Intermediate Zone. (NFPA.org)
Fire Resistant Planting
Are you are looking to replace trees? Here are a few resources with ideas for trees and shrubs that are less susceptible to burning. Check the Oregon State University Cooperative Extension publication, Fire Resistant Plants for Oregon Landscapes, PNW 590. Another useful publication offered by OSU is a 36-page guide, Keeping Your Home and Property Safe from Wildfire, EM9184. These publications are available online.
Take Steps to PREVENT Starting a Fire
When working on these Intermediate Zone prevention tasks, you must be careful not to create a wildfire due to sparks from a chain saw or other equipment. Inspect your vehicle or trailer to make sure you do not drag any chains or other metal pieces that may cause sparks. Also, be careful not to park a vehicle with a hot catalytic converter/exhaust system where dry grasses or weeds will touch these parts and catch on fire.
Lastly, be sure to check with the local Fire District or Oregon Department of Forestry for current information on burning. Do not be the one who causes a wildfire!
Next week, we will look at the Extended Zone.