Decrease Fire Risk with Brush Clearing

In 2018, the California wildfire season saw over 8,500 fires burning an area of almost 2 million acres.  This devastation was the largest amount of burned acreage in recorded history, the deadliest and most destructive season on record. 2019 has so far brought more devastating fires.

While many factors come into play where wildfires are concerned, a primary proactive position available to homeowners is straightforward brush clearing.

With the rainy season delivering gallons of rainfall to freshly charred hills, Spring 2019 enjoyed a breathtakingly colorful super bloom.  Among these beautiful wildflowers were invasive weeds and brush, which quickly dried out in the summer heat and became an invitation for open flame.

It can not be overstated how important it is to properly clear brush from your landscape. This involves intensive manual labor, covering various methods that result in the removal of dry brush, preventing sparks from fires to jump, thereby helping to contain the fire. It also involves the cutting back of small trees which are quick to burn, and trimming low-hanging branches that can catch and spread fire rapidly to a forest canopy.

Removal techniques range from outright strategic pruning, trimming and removal to careful use of environmentally-friendly herbicides and purely organic methods, such as keeping sheep or goats.

However, this is not a process to undergo willy-nilly.

“Removing too much of natural growth, and using methods that are not tried and true, can stand a risk of irreparable damage to the environment, and when done wrong, brush clearing can lead to bigger fires in the end.” -

Flores Artscape Owner, Rumaldo Flores