Why it matters here

Most homes in the Bitterroot and around Missoula sit right up against timber, grass or brush. When a wildfire comes through, a lot of homes aren't lost to a wall of flame. They catch from embers landing on something that burns close to the house, or from fire creeping through brush and low branches right up to the walls. Clearing around your home is about taking that fuel away.

Think in rings

Fire professionals usually talk about the area around a home as a set of rings, each one getting a different kind of attention. The closer to the house, the stricter it gets.

Right next to the house

The first few feet around your walls, deck and foundation matter most. Nothing that burns easily belongs here.

  • Rake out dead leaves, needles and bark mulch
  • Move firewood piles, lumber and propane tanks away from the house
  • Keep shrubs and branches off the siding and roofline
  • Gravel or bare ground makes a good border

The next 30 feet or so

This is the space that keeps fire from building up momentum as it gets close.

  • Thin out brush so it isn't one continuous patch
  • Remove lower branches on trees so fire on the ground can't climb into the crowns
  • Space trees and shrubs so their crowns don't touch
  • Keep grass mowed short, especially late in summer

Out toward the tree line

Farther out, the goal isn't bare ground. It's breaking up the fuel so a fire slows down and stays on the ground.

  • Thin crowded stands of small trees
  • Clear out dead and downed trees
  • Keep the driveway corridor open so fire crews can get in

The goal is not to strip your property. Healthy, well-spaced trees can stay. It's the crowded, dead and low fuel that carries fire.

How much is enough?

It depends on your slope, what's growing, and how close your neighbors and the forest are. Fire moves faster uphill, so a home above a slope needs more space cleared on the downhill side. A place surrounded by dense timber needs more than one sitting in an open hayfield.

When to do it

Late fall through spring is usually the best time, when fire danger is low and the ground is firm. Burning piles is also only allowed when conditions and local rules permit, so hauling debris off is often the simpler choice during fire season.

Where we come in

We do land clearing and fire mitigation across Ravalli and Missoula counties: thinning brush, removing trees and stumps, limbing up, and piling or hauling off the debris. We'll walk the property with you first and agree on what stays.