Is Your Property FireWise?

For many of us some of the most disturbing images we have ever seen is someone’s home engulfed in flames…and the aftermath, a smoldering pile of cinders.

For those of us fortunate enough to call Northern Arizona home, we live in some of the most beautiful country in the West. Home to the largest continuous stand of Ponderosa Pine in the world, rolling foothills, rugged mountain terrain… and the threat of wildland fires.

A FireWise individual takes responsibility for the protection of his or her property in the event of a wildfire. A FireWise community involves homeowners, business and civic leaders, city planners, developers, landscape designers, architects and municipal agencies, fire and police departments… all working together to minimize the risk of wildfires.

Every property has different terrain, tree and vegetation density, and potential excess natural fuel for wild-fires. The national FireWise Communities program has very specific guidelines for reducing fire risk and creating a Survivable Space by modifying landscape design, reducing and replacing potential fuels with other vegetation and designing new structures with appropriate building materials.

Many factors come into play when assessing the potential risk of fire. You can call the FireWise experts at Supertree Services LLC. to help. Larry Phillips brings years of fire fighting experience to every FireWise property assessment from residential properties to ranches and commercial venues. Supertree’s evaluation can make the difference between protection and disaster.

Some of the suggestions made during a FireWise assessment may include:

• “Deadwooding” or removing 99 percent of all dead tree wood from the crown of the trees in case of a lightening strike.
• Cutting and removing all dead tree branches that are close to your home or other structures, down to a two-inch diameter, as high up in the tree as safely possible.
• Replacing flammable materials and vegetation with non-flammable decking or decorative stone and well-placed fire-resistant plants and ground cover.
• Watering trees out at the drip line (at branch tips, then straight down to the ground) to a depth of three feet every three to four weeks.
• Removing dead, weak or diseased trees and excess trees.
• Establishing a mix of younger and older trees.
• Thinning trees so that there is approximately 10 feet between the crowns of the trees.

Thinning Trees & Prescribed Burning

In this part of Arizona we have all seen efforts to thin excess trees in the forest, which is followed by prescribed burning. In both cases these are important steps in making any property or parcel of land FireWise. While thinning trees can also improve the visual appeal of your property, prescribed burning must be done under just the right seasonal and weather conditions. This can only be undertaken by professionals like those at Supertree Services LLC who have years of experience fighting fires and/or conducting prescribed burns, understand the causes of wildland fires, and are FireWise trained.

The steps involved from thinning trees on your property to instituting FireWise measures include:

• Acquiring the right prescribed fire permits.
• Notifying neighbors and surrounding businesses of the burn.
• Determining the most appropriate time to conduct a prescribed burn.
• Following up with regular inspections to maintain your FireWise status.

Supertree is ready to evaluate your property and suggest a plan to make it FireWise now and into the future.

Call Supertree Services LLC for a site assessment today and make your property FireWise: 928.526.2287