Why is Brush Clearance important?
One thing we learned from last year’s January fires, is that fire season is a year-round threat in Los Angeles. And brush clearance needs to be a year-round job! Brush clearance is critical for wildfire prevention because it removes fuel, creates a "defensible space" around structures for firefighters, slows fire spread, and reduces the risk from flying embers.
Just to be clear, we are not talking about clearing all healthy vegetation from 0 – 5ft around your house, we are talking about keeping that vegetation green and watered, clearing away dead vegetation, cleaning out gutters and clearing roofs of debris.
How Brush Clearance Prevents Wildfire
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Removes fuel: Clearing away dry grass, leaves, and dead branches eliminates the "fuel" that wildfires need to ignite and spread rapidly.
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Reduces ember impact: Wildfires can throw burning embers that can travel a mile or more and ignite homes. Clearing brush and other highly flammable items around a home helps protect it from these embers.
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Provides access for firefighters: Dense vegetation can block access for emergency vehicles and crews. Clearing brush ensures that firefighters can get to your house!
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Interruption of Fire Spread: By creating space between plants (both horizontal and vertical spacing), brush clearance helps prevent fire from "ladders"—moving from low-growing vegetation to taller shrubs and into tree canopies, where it becomes more intense and difficult to control.
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Increased Community Resilience: When multiple property owners clear their brush, it creates a more fire-resilient community, as an individual home's preparedness reduces the risk of fire spreading to neighboring properties.
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Manages invasive species: Invasive plant species can increase wildfire risk. Clearing them out helps native plants, which can be more resilient to fire, to thrive.
The Full Disclaimer:
The information above is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon, and you should consult with appropriate advisors in making decisions with respect to the matters discussed above. The listing of the above vendors or any product or service provided by these vendors does not constitute or imply an endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by The Oaks Neighborhood Association, any member of its board of directors, or any other person or entity. It is your sole responsibility to independently verify the qualifications, references and suitability of any vendor or any product or service provided by any vendor. Neither The Oaks Neighborhood Association nor any member of its board of directors nor any other person is responsible or liable for any of the information above or any agreement, product, service or damage arising from your relationship with any vendor or any product or service provided by any vendor.