Defensible Space & Fuels Reduction
What is defensible space?
Defensible space is the buffer you create between your home and the fuel or flammable grasses, brush, and trees nearby. As homeowners living in the Sierra Nevada, it is not only our responsibility to maintain adequate defensible space, it’s also state law enforced by CAL FIRE. Many cities, towns, and local governments in fire prone communities have also adopted municipal codes and ordinances which require defensible space, too.
Why is defensible space so important?
Defensible space increases a home’s resilience to wildfire in two critical ways. First, defensible space strategically focuses on reducing the volume of flammable fuel within the first 100 feet of a home and along roadways. Secondly, by creating defensible space, this provides a location for firefighters to make a stand against a fire to potentially save a home or help first responders assist with evacuations. In addition to the home, it is important to evaluate an entire property to ensure defensible space is around other flammable structures like evacuation routes, fencing, garages, pump houses, accessory dwelling units, carports, and barns.
Free Defensible Space Inspections
Not sure how to begin creating defensible space? YFR Tree and Land Management’s certified arborists offer free defensible space inspections and will work with you to develop a specific defensible space plan for your property. Whether you live amongst the mixed conifer forest of Truckee, or in the oak woodlands of Auburn or Penn Valley, our team of experts approach defensible space holistically. We balance safety, forest health, aesthetics, and budget to bring greater peace of mind to our clients. Each property is unique, which is why we offer a full range of fuel reduction services to help our clients develop defensible space immediately around their home, as well as along driveways and evacuation routes, no matter the size of the parcel.
How does YFR Tree & Land Management create defensible space?
We develop defensible space on residential and commercial properties through a combination of the following vegetative treatments:
Land clearing
Hand thinning
Tree pruning
Hazard tree risk assessments
Hazard tree removal
Limb weight reductions
Wood hauling
Stump grinding
Chipping
Brush clearing
Pile burning when permissible
