Cal Fire Defensible Space Vegetation Management

If you’re not familiar with Cal Fire Defensible Space regulations, your property may be at risk when the next wildfires hit Northern California.

Now is the time to think about fire readiness and create defensible space fire prevention zones around your home or business.

In 2020, wildfires tore through an estimated 4 million acres of California land and destroyed over 10,000 homes and structures.

This was not an isolated incident. Wildfires have always been a natural part of California’s landscape. But wildfire seasons across the West are starting earlier and lasting longer, and the burns are getting worse.

Everyone living in high fire hazard areas such as Santa Rosa, CA or Sonoma County must work to minimize the impact of these devastating natural disasters.

Protecting your home or business from wildfires starts with maintaining a wildfire defensible space. Cal Fire vegetation management steps specifically include trees, shrubs and bushes.

Create a Cal Fire Defensible Space Zone on Your Santa Rosa Property

One way to protect yourself is to create a proper defensible space fire zone around your property. California law provides homeowners with direction about a home defense zone within 100 feet of the home. According to the California Public Resources Code §4291, homeowners must:

  • Remove and clear all flammable vegetation and other combustible growth within 30 feet of the home. Single trees or shrubs can remain as long as they are pruned and well-spaced.
  • Keep a “reduced fuel zone” in the remaining 70 feet or out to your property line. This means that you create space between your plants and remove plants from beneath large trees.

Vegetation Management and Proper Plant Selection

In addition to precautions around your lawn, you should also:

  • Trim trees regularly to keep branches at least 10 feet from other trees.
  • Remove any tree branches lower than 6 feet from the ground.
  • Remove branches overhanging your roof and keep dead branches 10 feet away from your chimney.
  • Trim tree canopies.
  • Remove dead wood and vegetation.
  • Prune remaining vegetation, Including horizontal and vertical vegetation between shrubs.

Get Professional Help Creating Defensible Space

Slater’s Tree Care professionals are trained in firewise practices and defensible space requirements. They can assist you in planning and implementing Cal Fire Defensible Space fire readiness steps at your home or business.

Contact Us Today to Learn More!

Slater’s Tree Care is a full-service tree company serving Sonoma County. We pride ourselves in providing expert services at a fair price, and customer service is at the heart of what we do. No project is too big or too small for our crews, and we promise to haul away our mess when the job is complete. Don’t waste any more time searching for “tree care services” in Sonoma County. When you call Slater’s, you can rest assured that we’ll listen to your requests and communicate constantly until the job is finished. Your satisfaction is our #1 goal.

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