Landscaping Guide

Font Size: + -

Feedback Print

WHAT IS A "FIRE FREE FIVE" LANDSCAPE?

A Fire Free Five landscape is designed, installed, and maintained in a way that removes combustible landscape materials within five feet of a building to help protect the home or business from ember-based fires, or fires moving along the ground.

ZONE 1 (0-5’ FROM STRUCTURE)

Perennial plants and groundcovers only.
Remove all combustible items including firewood, construction materials, lawn furniture, etc.
Use non-combustible mulch or stone.
Do not use space under decks for storage.

ZONE 2 (5-30’ FROM STRUCTURE)

Remove bottom branches from lower 6 feet of trees.
Remove all dead and diseased trees and shrubs.
Thin out trees so there are 6-10 feet from crown to crown.
Thin all shrubs to prevent continuous rows or areas where shrubs are planted below tree crowns.
Mow native grasses or ground fuel to a height of 4 inches within 30" of the building.
Use modern drip/spray irrigation heads/emitters.

ZONE 3 (30’-100’ FROM STRUCTURE)

Remove bottom branches from lower 6 feet of trees.
Remove all dead and diseased trees and shrubs.
Thin out trees so there are 6-10 feet from crown to crown.
Thin all shrubs to prevent continuous rows or areas where shrubs are planted below tree crowns.

Assess Your Landscape

HOW TO EVALUATE YOUR LANDSCAPE

Inspect the ground plane within 5' of your home (Zone 1).

Step 1: Do you have combustible mulch in this area?

If yes, consider replacing with non-combustible mulch such as gravel or stone.

Step 2: Are there and existing shrubs in this area?

If yes, consider removing all shrubs.

Step 3: Are there any tree trunks in this area?

If yes, consider removing all trees and stumps.

Step 4: Are there tree branches that extend into the eave of your home?

If yes, prune and remove all branches within 24" of the structure. Remove all dead/dying branches too.

Step 5: Once Zone 1 has been taken care of, consider evaluating Zone 2, the 5-30’ area from your home.

Are all grasses less than 4” in height?
Are all shrubs more than 10’ O.C. from each other?
Are all tree branches at least 6’ from the ground?
Are all dead or diseased trees removed?

Landscape Example Landscaping example IMG_2566 (1)

Envision Your Fire Resistant Landscape

ENVISION AND IMPLEMENT A FIRE-RESISTANT LANDSCAPE

A Fire Free Five landscape can still be beautiful.

Landscaping example Stone facade with pea gravel
Image courtesy of Colas

Landscaping example
Stone patio with plant containers
Image courtesy of Colas

Landscaping example
Planters

Landscaping example
Concrete patio with planters and cobble

Stepping stone walkway with perennials

Landscaping example
Stone buffer with edging

Landscaping example
Perennial plant material and non-combustible materials

Implement Your Fire Free Five Landscape

MATERIALS TO USE IN THE FIRE FREE FIVE ZONE

1. Consider non-combustible mulch or flagstone:

Fire Free Five Landscape Example
2-4 inch cobble

Fire Free Five Landscape Example
1-2 inch river rock

Landscaping example
Flagstone pavers

Landscaping example
Concrete unit pavers

2. Consider adding perennial plant material.

Perennial groundcovers (Sweet Woodruff)	Wooley Thyme
Perennial plants	Pea gravel with perennials

Maintenance Techniques

MAINTENANCE - WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Maintaining your fire resistant landscape is crucial for the success of your design. A healthy landscape lowers the risk of spreading disease that kills plant material. Seasonal clean-ups are essential to keep organic material build up to a minimum which lowers the fuel available for fire o grow with.

Maintenance Suggestions:

Step 1: Clean debris off roof, decks and all gutters twice per year to reduce fuel loads.

gutter image

Step 2: Manage native grasses and other vegetation to reduce fuel loads.

Cutting Grass Dead Shrubs

Step 3: Remove vegetation and screen in all porch areas located underneath decks.

Under Deck

Step 4: Remove all wind blown leaves and fallen branches that collect adjacent to your home.

Racking

Step 5: Do not store firewood near your home and do not use space under decks for storage of any kind.

Firewood

Step 6: Prune tree branches 2 feet back from siding, overhangs and roofs.

Tree

Fire Free Five FAQ

What is recommended within the Fire Free Five area?

Within this area allowable landscaping would include:

Hardscaping such as on-grade patios, walkways, driveways, etc.
Non-combustible mulch
Well maintained and irrigated lawn
Perennial flower beds
Perennial ground cover

What if a tree is in that 5-foot area?

Trees and shrubs should not be planted (stem within five-foot zone) within the Fire Free Five.

Trees planted outside the five-foot zone that hang over into the zone should be limbed up to a height of six feet or one-third the total height whichever is less and should be trimmed to leave at least a five-foot horizontal and 10-foot vertical gap between the nearest branch and building.

The Fire Free Five would also apply to material placed or stored within this area. Combustible materials such as firewood, construction materials or other combustibles may not be stored within this zone.

Combustibles may be allowed to be stored within this zone if they are enclosed in a manner to prevent the ignition from flames or embers

What help is available to make changes to my property?

Vail Fire has several resources available to assist property owners make changes to their property.

Vail Fire staff are available year-round to provide technical assistance identifying wildfire hazards
Free curbside chipping program from May through October of each year to help with disposal of limbs and small trees. Funding is available for all Vail property owners through the Fire Free Five Community Assistance Program. Apply Here