As the spring rains come to a stop and we enter into the possibility of a more intense fire season, there is lots we can do to help protect ourselves, our homes, and our communities. One important thing to make any home safer is fire mitigation. I know many of us love our forests and do our best to keep ourselves fire safe but what about our properties? Dead trees are a huge fire danger and must be cut down. They act as kindling for fires and burn up easily allowing fires to spread quickly in areas with lots of dead trees.

Another way fires spread quickly is with trees that are close together. Thinning out our forests is an important step to fire safety. Fire has an easy time spreading from trees close together. Grand County recommends that you make sure no trees come within 12 feet of your home and that trees and brush are thinned out within thirty feet of your home or across your entire property if possible.

After thinning out the trees it’s important not to just leave the downed trees where they are. You can chop up the wood and use it as firewood for yourself, chop the wood down into smaller pieces and spread it around so that it can decompose naturally. You can look up where your local wood disposal site is as well. Many counties will take your wood for free and turn it into chips or fire wood to either sell or give out over the winter for those who are in need.

Make sure you also remove all dead limbs or brush within the same area. Cleaning out your gutters is also important. The dry pine needles inside the gutters can catch fire easier from embers that might fly over and increase the likelihood of your house catching on fire. You can also maintain a green belt around your house. For those with green thumbs you can use grass, flowers, or shrubs. For those without a green thumb, rocks or other non flammable material also work as well.

The most important part to remember is that fire mitigation is meant to slow the spread of fire and decrease the likelihood of your home catching on fire; it does not prevent fires. If there’s a fire in your area and local authorities are telling you to evacuate, you should do so immediately. Fire is not the only danger, smoke is very dangerous, especially for pregnant people, the elderly, and children. Debris and ash in the air also pose a health hazard. When you are asked to evacuate you should evacuate as quickly as possible.

For additional information about wildfire preparation, check out https:// gilpin.extension.colostate.edu/wpcontent/uploads/sites/29/2021/06/Home- Ignition-Zone-Guide-CSFS.pdf.