Firebreak Clearing

Firebreak Clearing for Cabins & Properties

Your cabin should be a serene getaway, but peace of mind is tough to come by when you’re worried about firebreak clearing. Making sure your cabin is protected requires a multi-pronged approach, and creating a defensible fire-fighting space is critical. This means creating a space around your cabin capable of reducing fire danger or damage. Also known as “firescaping,” there are different approaches you can take and working with a tree service company ensures that you and your cabin will be safe as fire season approaches.

Proper landscaping and good cabin construction are the pillars of a safe cabin. Moisture and water are fire’s natural enemy, and can be a key part of keeping your cabin safe. Some cabin owners install an exterior suppression system, which is kind of like a sprinkler system for the outdoors and is often attached to a lake or river. However, this is an expensive undertaking and requires ongoing maintenance. This leads us to firebreak clearing, which focuses on using landscaping as your best defense against fires.

Keep Your Cabin Safe with These Tips

Keeping the yard around your cabin well-maintained involves much more than aesthetics. You want to keep the area clean and clear of debris, choosing only specific plants and landscaping approaches that don’t feed fires. First, make sure there is plenty of space between your cabin and the surrounding woods. If there’s nothing in between the two to burn, it will take a fire much longer to reach your cabin. You can slow down this process even more by putting fire-resistant plants along with rocks around your cabin. If fire comes into contact with something that isn’t flammable, it’s at a standstill.

An added bonus to fire-resistant plants and rocks is that they look beautiful and allow you to get creative. River rocks are a natural way to increase the beauty of the yard around your home while keeping flames at bay. As you clear the space, make sure you trim trees properly so that there’s space between them. There’s a skill involved in trimming trees for firebreak clearing, which means you only want to trust a pro with this technique. By minimizing clusters of trees and plants, you can stop the fire from spreading as quickly. Also, tree removal is often a good idea for cabins in areas with dense forest.

Firebreak Tips

If you haven’t bought or built your cabin yet, pay attention to its location. Ideally, you’ll be able to find land or a cabin close to a water source or in a moist area. Moisture keeps the air cool and can help suppress traveling flames if a fire should occur. Not only is a cabin close to a water source beautiful, but it’s also less likely to be plagued by fires.

There’s no ideal size for a firebreak, but 15 feet between your cabin and the nearby woods is a good starting point. However, also keep in mind that fires can start inside the cabin. Using fire-resistant materials to build your cabin such as concrete or stucco is a good idea. You’ll also want to keep the roof clear of debris, make sure branches don’t hang over the roof, and keep weeds and grass close to the cabin removed or trimmed. For more information on firebreaking or to schedule a firescape service, contact Timber Ridge Tree Service today.

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