How to protect your home and property

Wildfire season is coming and it’s time to prepare.

Destructive wildfires are more frequent and causing more damage in many parts of the world, including New Zealand, as shown by the recent Ohau, Tasman and Port Hills fires.

Warmer, drier and windier areas are at higher risk from wildfires but fires are not limited to those areas.

A wildfire also doesn’t need to be large to be extremely damaging, which is why those living in rural properties, lifestyle blocks, and houses on the urban edge need to be prepared.

Scientific research has shown that individual landholders can play key roles in protecting their homes and property, by creating defensible space.

WHAT IS DEFENSIBLE SPACE?

Defensible space is a carefully managed area around houses or structures where flammable materials are removed or minimised.

It helps break up fuel loads, slow the spread of a wildfire and reduce the intensity, improving the chances of the home or structure not being destroyed. Defensible space around a house is divided into different ‘‘safety zones’’, each of which require separate management.

In Zone 1, nearest your house (zero to 10 metres) is where fuels should be most actively managed:

■ Keep gutters and areas around decks clear of dead leaves, debris and pine needles;

■ Remove highly flammable plant species, such as tall grasses, ma¯ nuka, ka¯ nuka, pines and eucalypts, especially next to buildings;

■ Keep lawns well trimmed; and remove other flammable materials.

In Zone 2 (10-30 metres), the emphasis is on vegetation management:

■ Prune plants to create gaps from the ground and between different trees and shrubs.

The good news is you don’t have to completely give up planting around your home.

One aspect of creating defensible space is ensuring that any vegetation around your home and other structures is less likely to burn; this can be achieved by switching to low-flammability planting.

WHAT CAN I DO NOW TO ESTABLISH A DEFENSIBLE SPACE?

There are many straightforward property maintenance or housekeeping tasks that landholders can do now to create defensible space around homes and other structures on their property.

Indeed, the best time to prepare for fire season is well before the fire season begins.

The key things to start doing now are: ■ Keep your grass short;

■ Keep gutters and areas around decks clear of dead leaves, debris and pine needles;

■ Remove highly flammable plants close to your home and other buildings;

■ Plan to plant low-flammability species before next summer.

If you’re not prepared, the wildfire risk is always extreme. Learn more about how you can be prepared at checkitsalright.nz.

This article is published in association with Fire and Emergency NZ as part of a commercial arrangement between them and Stuff.