Continuing from our previous post which covered Zone 1, we are going to discuss Home Ignition Zone 2 (or the Intermediate Zone). You may have heard these tips before, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded and go over it again.
Zone 2 is 5-30 feet from the
furthest exterior point of your home. Landscaping and hardscaping are key
elements here – employ these to create breaks that can help influence and even
decrease the spread of a wildfire. Create fuel breaks using driveways,
walkways, and patios.
Keep lawns trimmed to a height of
four inches or less, and remove any ladder fuels so that a surface fire can’t
spread to the tops of trees. Prune your trees 6-10 feet from the ground and
make sure your trees have a minimum of 20 feet space between crowns. If you are
planting trees, they should be arranged so that mature crowns are a minimum of
ten feet away from the edge of your home. Tree and shrubs in this zone should
be limited to small clusters to allow breaks in vegetation.
If you have any, move
trailers, recreational vehicles, storage sheds, propane tanks, and other
combustible items or structures out of this zone. If you are unable to move
them, create intentional defensible space around them – trim vegetation
and use landscaping to your advantage.
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