State issues recommendations for reducing wildfire risks

As a follow up to the historic 2024 wildfire season — marked by 1,300 wildfires in Massachusetts — the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Department of Fire Services have issued recommendations to reduce potential risks to property.

The DCR’s Bureau of Forest Fire Control and Forestry reported that wildfires increased by roughly 1,200% during last October and November, when the state faced widespread drought conditions. The vast majority of the wildfires were caused by debris-pile burning, abandoned campfires, and equipment.

The fire prevention guidance, from the National Fire Protection Association, covers three distinct property areas:
• Immediate Zone, which includes a structure and the five-foot area surrounding it
• Intermediate Zone, which covers from five to 30 feet from a structure’s outermost point
• Extended Zone, which stretches up to 200 feet from the structure

For the Immediate Zone, property owners should take actions such as cleaning roofs, gutters and exterior attic vents of any debris, especially dead leaves and pine needles; replacing any loose shingles or roof tiles; and installing metal mesh screening in eaves. Flammable material should be moved away from exterior walls, including mulch, flammable plants, dried leaves, pine needles and firewood, as well as anything stored beneath a deck or porch.

In the Intermediate Zone, recommendations include clearing vegetation from under and around stationary propane tanks and trees; using fuel break property borders (areas free of flammable vegetation that help to interrupt the spread of fire), such as driveways, walkways, and patios; and keeping grass and lawns at or below four inches in height. Additionally, trees should be pruned to the point that the lowest branches are six to 10 feet above the ground and spaced at least 18 feet apart.

Work within the Extended Zone should focus on removal and disposal of accumulated flammable debris, dead plants or trees, small conifers between trees, and vegetation around outbuildings. Property owners should prune canopies of trees 30 to 60 feet from the home to at least 12 feet between canopy tops while the canopies of trees 60 to 100 feet from the structure should be pruned so that they have at least 6 feet between canopy tops.

Additional guidance and fire risk reduction recommendations are available on the Department of Conservation and Recreation website. Examples of home safety precautions can be found in a video available on DCR’s social media channels.