Monday, January 20, 2014

Fire Prevention 101: The Best Way To Do Landscaping

By George Dodson


Landscaping is proven to not only enhance the look of your home but also save life from fire. In Florida alone, fire fighters usually battle wildfires up to 15 times a day. These fires threaten wooded and suburban homes most frequently. The hazard of fire surges when a drought is followed by a freeze due to the die-off of warm perennials. Proper landscaping as well as proper selection and placement of plants prevents fire.

Task Difficulty:Average

Instructions

Materials

Tape Measure

Stakes

Construction tape

Mechanical Saw

Shovel

Cutter

Rake

Lava stone or coarse gravel

Grass seed

Shrubs in resilience to fire, like agave, century plant, and philodendron

Long tubular pipe

Drip irrigation

Region where fire is almost zero

1.Work to create a 30-foot perimeter around your house or a 100-foot perimeter if you are situated in a impenetrable woody area or a hill. Remove all flammable bushes and trees, such as pines, boxwood, wax myrtle and organic mulches within this zone.

2.Decrease left behind trees so tops are a least of 10 feet spaced out. For risky zones, crop lower part of trees and make sure that the trees are at least 6 feet from the soil. With loppers, remove "ladder fuels," such as vines and shrubs that carry a ground fire up into the treetops or home soffits.

3.For a building to be protected and safe, plant fireproof bushes and trees 10 feet apart and a minimum of 5 feet from the structure. Instead of ingraining a thick single kind of plant; cultivate a diverse species of flora.

4.Install powered timers that would detect slight changes in moisture as well as an irrigation should be provided to ensure safety and protection. Attach a hose to a faucet within the vicinity of the plants and is located away from any structures.

5.Extend a bed of non-inanimate coverings like a course gravel or a lava rock around the building. In between plants, put in insulation like a course gravel.

6.Regularly schedule removal of dead flora, trim grass and cut shrubs and trees. Eliminate anything that could catch fire from underneath the trees.

Tips & Warnings

Examples of plants in resilience to fire are aloe, pittosporum, coontie, camellia and azalea. Highly flammable trees and shrubs include red cedar, Italian cypress, bald cypress and arborvitae.

Get professional help from a tree specialist or landscaper to get rid of tree and shrub. Observe proper training first, before operating a chainsaw. Use proper safety gears when removing branches.




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