United States Department of Agriculture 383-CPS-1

NRCS, NHCP

November 2022

NRCS reviews and periodically updates conservation practice standards. To obtain the current 

version of this standard, contact your Natural Resources Conservation Service State office or 

visit the Field Office Technical Guide online by going to the NRCS website at 

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ and type FOTG in the search field. 

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Natural Resources Conservation Service 

CONSERVATION PRACTICE STANDARD 

FUEL BREAK 

CODE 383 

(ac)

DEFINITION 

A strip or appropriately sized block of land on which the vegetation, debris, and litter have been reduced

and/or modified to control or diminish the spread of fire. 

PURPOSE 

Use this practice to accomplish one or more of the following purposes: 

• Significantly reduce the spread of wildfire resulting from excessive biomass accumulations. 

• Facilitate the management of plant productivity and health with prescribed fire. 

• Facilitate the improvement of fish and wildlife habitat and/or livestock forage quality or quantity by

facilitating prescribed fire. 

CONDITIONS WHERE PRACTICE APPLIES 

This practice applies to all lands where protection from wildfire or facilitation of prescribed fire is needed. 

CRITERIA 

General Criteria Applicable to All Purposes 

Design fuel break strips or blocks to be sufficient width and length to contain the fire based on its expected

behavior. Locate fuel breaks to minimize risk of unwanted damage to resources and infrastructure from

fire and heat. Use natural features or anchor points such as streams, lakes, ponds, rock cliffs, constructed

firebreaks, roads, field borders, skid trails, landings, drainage canals, railroads, utility rights-of-way,

cultivated land, or other areas to augment fuel breaks for greater efficacy. 

Remove ladder fuels (live or dead vegetation and tree branches that can carry a fire burning in lowgrowing vegetation to taller vegetation) to maintain adequate vertical separation between surface fuels

and the tree canopy. Thin the overstory stand sufficiently to reduce the tree canopy and the potential of a

crown fire. 

Treat or remove slash to minimize fuel loadings and reduce the risk of wildfires, escape of prescribed

fires, and incidence of harmful insects and disease. Manage the height, density, arrangement, and/or

composition of grasses and forbs to minimize fine fuels in the fuel break. 

CONSIDERATIONS 

Use decision support tools, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), geographic information systems

(GIS), and light detection and ranging (Lidar) mapping, to guide the planning and layout of fuel breaks.

Locate fuel breaks near ridge crests and valley bottoms, where fuels and topography provide the most

effective reduction in fire intensity and/or infrastructure or egress protection. Avoid locating fuel breaks in

midslope positions. Locate fuel breaks on the contour, where practicable, to minimize the risk of soil
erosion. Install fuel breaks in a manner that supports vehicle and equipment access, including fire

suppression equipment. Determine the expected wind directions and install fuel breaks to the windward

(direction from which the wind is blowing) side of the area to be protected. 

Reduce air quality impacts by limiting emissions of particulate matter, greenhouse gases, and ozone

precursors. 

Establish and maintain fire-resistant vegetation, when feasible, to further inhibit fire and prevent soil

erosion. Re-establish vegetation using a diverse native plant species mix that meets native wildlife and

pollinator needs, when practical. Graze livestock to manage fuels in areas not conducive to mechanical

treatments. Locate fencing, water, and minerals in areas to facilitate fuels management with livestock

grazing. 

Treat and/or arrange slash produced in the establishment of a fuel break to reduce additional threats from

wildfire or the potential escape of prescribed fires. 

Locate fuel breaks to protect cultural resources, threatened and endangered species, natural areas,

riparian areas and wetlands. 

PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS 

Prepare specifications for applying this practice for each site including: 

• Length, width, and location. 

• Residual forest overstory/stocking. 

• Extent and timing of slash treatment. 

• Treatment of fine fuels. 

• Removal of ladder fuels. 

• Establishment of fire-resistant vegetation. 

• Erosion calculations and erosion control measures. 

Record using approved: 

• Specification sheets. 

• Burn plan, if necessary. 

• Plan map. 

• Implementation requirements. 

• Narrative statems in the conservation plan, or other acceptable documentation. 

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE 

Mow or graze vegetative fuel breaks to avoid a buildup of excess litter. 

Inspect all fuel breaks for woody materials, such as dead limbs or blown down trees, and remove or treat

as necessary, especially before conducting a prescribed burn. 

Monitor or manage surface and canopy fuels to maintain desired fire behavior. 

REFERENCES 

Moriarty, K., L. Okeson, and M. Pellant. 2015. Fuel Breaks that Work. Great Basin Factsheet Series,

Number 5. https://www.sagegrouseinitiative.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/5_GBFS_Fuel-Breaks.pdf

Shinneman, D.J., C.L. Aldridge,P.S. Coates, M.J. Germino, D.S. Pilliod, and N.M. Vaillant. 2018. A

Conservation Paradox in the Great Basin—Altering Sagebrush Landscapes with Fuel Breaks to Reduce

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Habitat Loss From Wildfire. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2018–1034.

https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2018/1034/ofr20181034.pdf

Syphard, A.D., J.E. Keeley, and T.J. Brennan. 2011. Comparing the Role of Fuel Breaks Across Southern

California National Forests. Forest Ecology and Management 261, Issue 11: 2038-48.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2011.02.030

Tasmania Fire Service. 2016. Fuel Break Guidelines: Guidelines for the Design of Fuel Breaks in the

Urban-Rural Interface.

http://www.fire.tas.gov.au/userfiles/stuartp/image/FuelBreakCalculator/TFS_Fuelbreaks_Guidlines_v1_201

610.pdf

USDA Forest Service. 1977. Fuel Breaks and Other Fuel Modification for Wildland Fire Control.

Agricultural Handbook No.499. https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/33461

Weir, J.R. 2009. Conducting Prescribed Fires: A Comprehensive Manual. College Station, TX: Texas A&M

University Press.

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