To be a FireWise homeowner, plan well, plant well and maintain well. Colorado's population is growing, its urban areas are rapidly expanding, and people are building more homes in what was once natural forest and brushlands. Newcomers to rural areas need to know how to correctly landscape their property to reduce wildfire hazards. Improper landscaping worries land managers and fire officials because it can greatly increase the risk of structure and property damage from wildfire. It is a question of when, not if, a wildfire will strike any particular area.
Defensible space is, simply, room for firefighters to do their job.
If grasses, brush, trees and other common forest fuels are removed, reduced, or modified to lessen a fire's intensity and keep it away from the home, chances increase that the structure will survive. It is a little-known fact that in the absence of a defensible space, firefighters will often bypass a house, choosing to make their stand at a home where their safety is more assured and the chance to successfully protect the structure is greater. People often resist creating defensible space because they believe that it will be unattractive, unnatural and sterile-looking. Wise landowners carefully plan landscaping within the defensible space. This effort yields a many-fold return of beauty, enjoyment and added property value.