Create a Defensible Space 

Defensible space is essential to improve your home's chances of surviving a wildfire.  It's the buffer you create between your home and the flammable vegetation, like trees, grass and shrubs, around your home.

Defensible Space Zones 

Three zones make up the recommended 100 feet of defensible space.  ​

Zone 1:  0-15 feet from your home 

Increasing the width of Zone 1 will increase your home's survivability in a wildfire. 

0-5' from Home -  Also known as the Ignition Resistant Zone
  • Remove all dead or dry leaves, pine needles, and dead plants
  • Remove flammable wood chips from around home's foundation
  • Remove branches that hang over your roof 
  • Remove all flammable vegetation - like junipers 
  • Remove trees - this will help make your home safer 
0-15' from Home  
  • Relocate wood piles to Zone 2 - keep away from flammable vegetation. 
  • Remove vegetation that can catch fire around and under decks
  • Remove all tree branches at least 10' from the ground 
  • Cut or mow grass down to maximum height of 4" 

Zone 2:  30-100' from your home

This area is designed to diminish the intensity of a fire approaching your home.  
​
  • Mow or trim wild grasses to maximum height of 6" 
  • Remove enough trees to create at least 10' between crowns. 
  • Remove all tree branches of remaining trees at least 10' from ground: if tree is small, remove all branches up to 1/3 height of tree.  
  • Remove ladder fuels under remaining trees (fuels that can bring fire from the ground into the tree, acting as a 'ladder')
  • Remove dead trees & branches, fallen leaves, needles, twigs, pine cones, or small branches.   
  • ​Keep shrubs at least 10' away from the edge of tree branches. 

Zone 3:  Over 100' from your home 

This zone provides an opportunity for you to improve the health of the forest on your property.   Removing trees that are close together can improve the health of your forest --helping reduce the spread of diseases and reducing the competition for water and nutrients.   If you can, limb up remaining trees to at least 10' from the ground and remove ladder fuels under trees.   ​
Colorado State Forest Service Defensible Space Guidelines