Protect Your Candlewood Lake Home Against Fire With Proper Landscaping
Protect Your Candlewood Lake Home Against Fire With Proper Landscaping
Landscaping that is well-maintained and attractive can add curb appeal and value to your , but did you know that it can also protect your home from fire?
The most important things to remember in designing your home’s landscaping to protect it from fire are:
- Choose the right plants (like low-growing plants).
- Place plants in the right areas.
- Keep your plants healthy with proper maintenance.
- Use pavers and gravel for your patio.
- Keep grass short and irrigated and remove weeds. Leaves and grass taller than 6 inches can fuel flames.
- Regularly remove and clean up leaves, branches, and dead plants which burn quickly.
- Prune dead tree branches.
Choose Fire-Resistant Plants
Some plants, grasses, and mulches are highly flammable, while others are slower to burn, which buys you more time to save your home in case of a fire.
Consider fire-resistant foundation plants for your landscaping like azaleas, hydrangeas, boxwoods, and burning bushes. Succulents have high water content and are less flammable.
Avoid using plants that contain wax, oils, or terpenes, which are highly flammable.
If you are using bark mulch, which is super flammable, make sure to keep it moist or choose a less flammable mulch such as decorative rock, gravel, or bark-and-rock combinations.
In areas with lots of trees, wildfires are a possibility. In case of a fire, you can make it easier for firefighters to put out the blaze by setting up “fire defense zones” near your Candlewood Lake home.
Zone 1: This is the area within 30 feet of your that gives firefighters room to put out a blaze. Put hardscape in the first 4 feet from your home like flagstone, gravel, and pavers. For plants, choose low growing and less dense foundation shrubs such as azaleas. Keep trees away from your home. If this 30-foot zone has burning trees and shrubs during a wildfire, firefighters might decide that it is not safe to enter the area closest to your home.
Zone 2: This is the area extending 100 feet away from your home, probably more if your is sloped. In Zone 2, all trees and shrubs should be thinned out and opened up by removing branches close to the ground. This zone is a good place for putting wide paths which can act as firebreaks.
Knowing the kinds of plants to choose, where to place them and creating enough space for firefighters to put out the blaze is a surefire way to use landscaping to protect your from fire.
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