The shortest days of the year are upon us, and our longer evenings provide an opportunity to think about what we can do around the house when springtime comes again. Even with an uneven economy, we can start next year off right with respect to wildfire mitigation. Here are some inexpensive springtime mitigation tasks to put on your list.

Wind, rain, snow and sleet conspire to leave all manner of vegetative litter during the winter months. Here’s what you can do----at no cost: Clean the gutters! Sweep pine needles and leaves back from the base and inside corners of your house. Remove leaves, needles and other debris from under your deck, if you have one. Walk around your yard and pick up any branches that have blown down. Investment = $00.00.

If you are storing wood against the side of the house or under your deck, move it away at least 30 feet for the duration of wildfire season. Prune back shrubs and trees that grew too close to your house last summer. Check your hoses to see if leaks have developed. If you own a generator that was not used during the winter, rev it up to be sure it is functioning properly. Investment = $00.00.

And if you have budget to purchase some plants or shrubs, make Firewise choices, planting them in such a way they cannot ignite your house once they have reached maturity. Take a look at Firewise plant lists or Google fire resistant plants.

All these things can be done at little or no cost and will pay big dividends should your house be threatened by wildfire in 2009. Have fun planning by playing Preparing Your Home for Wildfire Season. You won’t be sorry!

Labels: fire resistant plant lists, Firewise practices, wildfire mitigation