Fire Smart Landscape Maintenance Reminders

by Anna Glendenning | More from this Blogger

09 Aug 2007 09:33 AM

The landscape around a home or structure is a constantly changing and a very dynamic system. Even those plants which are considered fire resistant and have a lower fuel volume need to be maintained and cared for so they won't lose their fire safe qualities.

• One of the most important maintenance steps is to first understand the growth habits of the plants you have on your property. Learn about the changes the plants have during the seasons and when maintenance is most needed to reduce the fuel volume in the area.
• Remove any dead growth on bushes, plants and trees. Don't leave any brown branches, with dead leaves, or old blossoms and leaves. Be sure to remove annuals after they have gone to seed or when they become dry. Trim and remove dead growth on perennials. Remove any plants that are damaged.
• As the season moves toward fall be sure to keep up with raking the leaves. Fall is one of the most dangerous time of the fire season, especially if it's been a hot and dry summer. Be sure to keep leaves and other debris cleaned up and cleared away from the structures and dispose of it before it builds up.
• It's vital to keep the grasses mowed to the lowest height possible. Especially within the defensible spaces around the house and other structures.
• Pruning is one of the most important maintenance requirements. Homeowners who can't do the work themselves should consider this as one of those jobs to pay to have done right. Pruning reduces the fuel volume and maintains healthier plants by stimulating more vigorous, and fresh new growth.

When taking care of the most expensive investment most people will ever make, Our Homes, landscape maintenance needs to be an important part of the protection defense system. Even the most well designed defensible landscape space can be ruined by a lack of maintenance. Protecting your home and making it possible for the fire fighters to defend your property in the even of a wild fire starts with the landscape and maintenance of it.

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• Landscaping To Reduce Wild Fire Risks For Homeowners.
• Firewise Landscaping: Trees
• Wildfire Evacuation Plan: When the Order is Urgent!

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Learn more about Anna Glendenning

Anna Glendenning is a mother of four. Two biological children grown and out of college, and two siblings and adopted together in 2003. Anna's Personal Website http://www.adoptiveparentsnetwork.

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