CAL FIRE Forecasting High Fire Risk in 2024
Our region has been fortunate to have relatively mild fire seasons these past couple summers. Thankfully, persistent smoke hasn't kept us holed up inside and many of us haven't received recent orders to evacuate.
However, we may not be so lucky this year. CAL FIRE is forecasting that 2024 may very well be a longer, more intense fire season compared to the past three years. This is due in combination to the wet winter and spring which produced more fuel to burn. This coupled with early, hot weather in June and July has set us up for “an abnormally high fire risk for the remainder of the year” per CAL FIRE’s 2024 Fire Year Outlook.
At the time of this writing, 248,972 acres have burned in California this year alone. This begs the question, “Is your defensible space adequate?” Not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered.
Reducing Wildfire Risk on Your Property
Experts recommend working out from your home, starting with Zone 0, the first 0-5 feet from your structure. Do you have dry material accumulating next to your foundation, such as dead leaves, pine needles, and pine cones, etc. ? Do you have firewood near your entryway, or vegetative fuel gathering under your deck? These days much focus and attention are being placed on hardening the immediate 5 feet from the home by replacing plants with non-combustible material like a concrete sidewalk or a rock garden bed. Gone are the days of installing new landscaping or decorative trellises directly next to the home. If vegetation is located within this zone, it is recommended that it be well-irrigated, low to the ground, and free from dead material that could be ignited by a traveling ember. Once you’ve addressed the perimeter of your home on the ground, work upward. Are there trees overhanging or touching your roof? Is your roof clear of pine needles? When was the last time your gutters were cleared?
Graphic borrowed from CAL FIRE Zone 0 workshop
Next is Zone 1, which covers the area between 5-30 feet from your home. In this area, you’ll want to remove all dead material from the ground and consider the spacing between bushes and trees. All trees should be limbed up with a recommended 10 feet of spacing between tree crowns. Zone 3 covers the subsequent area from 30-100 feet around your home or other structures on your property. In this region, the focus is on reducing additional combustible material. This means increasing vertical and horizontal space between bushes, shrubs, hedges, and trees; keeping lawns mowed; as well dead material raked and removed.
Defensible space doesn’t just apply to our homes, it also applies to our roads. It’s vital to maintain the vegetation along driveways and routes of egress. This includes mowing tall grasses, limbing up trees, and removing excessive vegetation such as dense juvenile trees which act as ladder fuels to nearby tree canopies. This not only helps you and your neighbors evacuate in the event of a fire, but helps first responders by providing safer access to defend your home.
Need assistance bringing your home into compliance with CAL FIRE, your HOA, the local fire department, or your fire insurance provider? Our team is well versed in improving defensible space and is available to assist! Let us know at the button above.
Local Resources for Emergency Preparedness
The County of Nevada Office of Emergency Services (OES) recently mailed their Ready, Set, Go Handbook which is a fantastic guide to emergency preparedness. This joint effort by OES, the Cities of Grass Valley and Nevada City, the Town of Truckee, and CAL FIRE contains a wealth of information. Check it out for a refresher on what to pack in your go bag, how to register for critical emergency alerts, how to identify which evacuation zone you live in, and much more!