Property protection is a year-round, community-wide effort if you live in wildfire country. Here are some steps that both you and your neighbors need to take every year: Clear brush and weeds from your property. Dry groundcover is a welcome mat for fires to spread to your doorstep. Trim the lower branches of trees. Particularly if you haven’t addressed the groundcover, branches near to the ground form a ladder that allows fire to reach the treetops. Clear you gutters of debris. Sparks and embers can spread from afar to nest in this bed of kindling along your roofline. Once your roof catches fire, your home is likely to follow.