Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

They may have been doing this for cosmetic reasons, simply because they liked having a pretty yard.  But it ended up being what we in the Forest Service (for which I work) refer to as "defensible space."  By having a non-flamable, or less flamable perimeter around their house, they saved it.  One doesn't necessarily have to go to this extreme.  Defensible space can be as simple as clearing brush, low branches on trees, and fallen debris for 50-75 feet around the house, keeping pine needles swept off the roof, planting ornamental plants that are less flamable (some ornamentals are highly combustable, some are quite fire resistant), stacking your firewood *away* from your house, etc.

 

I'm happy for your friends...and my heart goes out to the many who lost their homes.

 

Dawn in East Texas

 

On 6/28/07, Ranelle Rubin <raneller@xxxxxxx> wrote:

I was always amazed at their persistance at keeping their yard
green..grass..moist flowerbeds..drip system..it was beautifu...no room for
pine needles which were religiously raked up each year and composted.

Their house was one of the few on their street that survived.