In January 2016, there were 439 wildfires that destroyed more than 3,000 acres of land. If that's how many fires there are in one month, think about how much devastation happens annually in the United States. Thousands upon thousands of acres are destroyed annually. If you live in a rural wooded area with lots of brush, your property is at risk for catching fire. If you plant crops, they are at risk. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to decrease your risk of fire and save your property if a fire were to occur. Following are a few ways to protect your crops and property from wildfire.
Create Defensible Space
Defensible space is a term fire fighters use to describe land where the vegetation has been cut back so that fire can't spread easily. To protect your home and crops, you should have at least 100 feet of defensible space surrounding your buildings. To create defensible space, you must remove all dead and dry vegetation and brush and keep the healthy grass cut down to less than 4 inches. You should also pay attention to how close your trees are to one another. Trees within the zone should have at least 10 feet between their branches and the branches of other trees.
Use Fireproof Materials
When building structures, use non-flammable materials as much as possible. Examples of fireproof materials include brick, composite roofing, fiber-cement siding, and composite decking. You can also use non-flammable materials in your landscaping. For example, rocks, boulders, and stone are ideal for creating an attractive landscape that won't catch fire easily. If you're not sure which materials are best, check to see if they're fire rated.
Invest in Equipment
Invest in equipment that will help you fight a fire or prevent it from spreading. Have extinguishers stationed all over your property and on your equipment for easy access. You may also want to buy fire-retardant foam or gel; both are great for preventing the spread of fire. When a fire breaks out, you can treat the areas that you don't want the fire to spread to.
As you can see, there are several ways you can protect your crops, property, and home from wildfires. If you live in a rural area where fires are common, make sure you take steps today to protect yourself from the devastating financial, physical, and emotional losses that fire can cause. For more information, contact local professionals like Echo Fire Protection.
Share4 October 2016
Hi! Thanks for stopping by my blog. My name is Courtney, and my passion combines art and plants. I have been a fiber artist for years, and recently, I moved to a farm. As I planted roots both literally and figuratively, I decided to revitalize farming from an aesthetic standpoint. In this blog, I am going to post entries of everything related to landscaping, planting, farming and the visual arts. Want to know how to make a field beautiful or how to inject classic edible plants into your landscaping design? If so, stick around. I hope to address all that here. Have a beautiful life!
