Utah Fire Info.gov

Utah Living With Fire
- A Guide for the Homeowner
Take action to improve the survivability of your home before a wildfire occurs. Pre-fire activities include proper vegetation management and the use of fire resistant building materials. The UtahFireInfo.gov "Living with Fire" site provides tips on how to increase the chances of your home surviving a wildfire.

Introduction
Fire Environment
Examples of Local Fire Behavior
FAQs about Defensible Space
Creating an Effective Defensible Space
Firescape: Fire Safe Landscape Design
Other considerations in Making Your Home Defensible
When Wildfire Approaches

- CREATING AN EFFECTIVE DEFENSIBLE SPACE -

How much space is needed for "Defensible Space"?

That depends on a few factors such as surrounding vegetation and steepness of slope as explained in the following chart.

	Defensible Space Recommended Distances -- Steepness of Slope
Recommended Defensible Space Distance	Flat or Gently Sloping 0 to 20%	Moderately Steep 21% to 40%	Very Steep Slope + 40%
Grass: Wildland grasses (such as cheatgrass), weeds, and widely scattered shrubs with grass understory.	30 feet	100 feet	100 feet
Shrubs: Includes shrub dominant areas (such as sagebrush, bitterbrush, manzanita) and pinyon-juniper.	100 feet	200 feet	200 feet
Trees: Includes forested areas. If substantial grass or shrub understory is present, use those values shown above.	30 feet	100 feet	200 feet

In the Defensible Space, remove limbs and reduce vegetation growing underneath other trees. This will help prevent fire from climbing into the treetops and spreading.

Lean, Clean, and
Green Zone

Lean: Small amounts of flammable vegetation.

Clean: Little or no dead vegetation or debris.

Green: Plants are healthy and green during fire season.

Defensible Space Checklist

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