Firewise Landscaping

The How Do Gardener ^ | July 20, 2012 | Rick Bickling

[orsonwb]

With the severe drought and heat wave that has been blanketing most of the country, and the wildfires ravaging Colorado this summer, now is the time to take steps to prepare for the unexpected. The use of "Firewise" landscaping in the area surrounding your home and property can serve as a fire break...

[orsonwb]

Good ideas on being proactive.

[bgill]

“You don’t have to live in a concrete block home with stainless steel doors and a metal deck all the way around it. You just have to remember – it’s the little things that count.”

Add in a metal roof and it sounds good to me. While it's always a good idea to keep debris cleared out around your home due to not just fire but insects and rodents, most people can't control what's grown 30 away from their homes, much less further out.

Texas is still a tender box with all the dead brush and trees from last summer's drought. All it's going to take is a tossed cigarette and we'll have another major wildfire. Here's the Texa wildfire risk map - http://www.texaswildfirerisk.com/

[CodeToad]

The ONLY preventative measure is to clearcut all forests within 1 mile of all homes, and that’s just plain stupid. Embers can fly 1 mile a set roofs on fire. Heat from fires can blow out windows and set the interior of homes on fire long before the outside is torched. The fact is, if you live in a forest, and we do, a good forest fire may burn the house down. Get ready for it. Get used to it. Plan accordingly.

Destroying the very forest that was an attractive setting for the home is not the answer as many “experts” are now calling for.

[SamAdams76]

It’s not the thing that matters but who did it first and then you drink from a water bottle.