• Lack of "defensible space" around your home and other structures
(an area within 30 to 100 feet surrounding your home that is clear of densely
planted vegetation)
• Excessive dead plant material on your property - leaves, shrubs, branches, grasses, etc.
• Grasses exceeding 18" in height.
• Masses of plantings or brush.
• An abundance of flammable shrubs on your property like manazanita, bear clover, buck brush, Scotch/Spanish broom, juniper, blackberry and incense cedar.
• Trees and plants at varying heights located next to each other.

Three Good Reasons You Shouldn't Put Off Clearing Your Property
to Reduce Fire Risk

If any of the conditions listed above exist on your property, you're at risk and you should take measures to address them. Safety is the first and foremost reason to arrange for clearing activities, but there are two others you may not have considered:

• It's the law: California Public Resources code 4291 sets forth specific requirements about creating and maintaining "defensible space," and any person who owns, leases or rents any structure on land which is covered with flammable material according to the code's definition must comply. Failure to do so may result in financial penalties ($100-to $500) and misdemeanor charges.

• You May Not Be Insurable: Insurance companies won't insure your home if they consider your property too big of a fire hazard. Insurance companies set their own standards for what they consider hazardous, a practice which is both legal and acceptable. Unfortunately, not all insurance companies have the same standards, so it's important to be as fire safe as possible. Properties are not just evaluated when a new insurance policy is requested - it can also happen when renewing an existing policy.

If You Want To Get The Job Done Right, Don't Do It Yourself.

If you're a homeowner, don't risk your personal safety or eat up your weekend time trying to perform clearing tasks yourself. Chances are you won't be able to rent the correct equipment to handle the job effectively anyway.

If you're a builder, tree service or other business that deals with improving properties, your crew would probably be more productive working on tasks other than clearing activities. You likely won't have access to the kind of equipment required to perform the work efficiently.

We invite you to learn more about how Bushwackers, Inc. can provide land clearing services to help you reduce your risk of fire hazard. Read about
our experience, crew and equipment on the commercial page.

For more information on Fire Risk Reduction, request your FREE Guidebook on our Free Resources page: