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Defensible
Space
When
people live in a high fire hazard environment, the human built
environment becomes an important factor in predicting the loss
of life and property. Untreated wood shake and shingle roofs,
narrow roads, limited access, lack of fire-wise landscaping, inadequate
water supplies, and poorly planned subdivisions are examples of
increased risk to people living with the threat of wildfire. The
diagram below illustrates fire-wise landscaping techniques that
result in defensible space around your home and community.
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| Defensible
space increases the moisture content of vegetation and decreases
the amount of fire fuels. Removal of dead wood, low hanging branches,
plants and shrubs bellow taller trees decreases "ladder fuels"
which enable a fire to spread. |
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Under
extreme conditions, almost any house can burn. However, having a
defensible space significantly improves the odds of your home surviving
a wildfire. Vegetation in the mountain areas has evolved in a wet/dry
cycle; wet winters and springs, with dry summers and falls. |
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watering around native trees during these normally dry periods will
create wet soil, allowing root disease to develop on the tree root
and the trees become weakened and may be killed by insects of susceptible
to being blown down.To protect your trees from insects, disease
and wind damage, guide and protect them with care. |
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Big
Bear Valley Fire Safe Council
P.O.
Box 6328
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
(909) 584-1403 or (909) 584-1066
EMAIL
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by KhalsaWeb. ©
2003
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