The McDonald Fire burns through black spruce in the Alaska Interior in June 2024.
By Art Nash
Believe it or not, this is a good time to plan your defensible space to ward off wildfires around your home and property.
Rich Seifert, professor emeritus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, has often said the largest single investment for most Alaska residents is their home. And while some rent instead of owning a home, these Alaskans also may have the majority of their assets in the dwelling or on the property that they are leasing.
With fresh memories of the fires in Los Angeles that led to total losses for many not insured, it is a good time to prepare your home for potential wildfires along rural-urban interface areas of Alaska.
Generally, this might involve mapping out where you need to trim trees with limbs 10 feet or less up the trunk from the ground or clear all trees and brush within 30 feet of buildings. Scoping out where to use landscaping rock or to plant black dirt gardens as defensible perimeters can also tell you how much material you will want to buy to put in place once breakup occurs.
Make sure you have heating fuel tanks set at least 30 feet from homes as well. After breakup, empty the gutters of any leaf litter and consider putting in a short turf lawn and irrigation where you may have had wild grasses in the past. During winter, you can relocate large split firewood piles or sheds away from your home.
If you are thinking of constructing buildings this summer, look into fire-retardant materials or compare the prices of third-party products you can add on to standard milled wood siding, decking and roofing. For areas where tall trees could catch on fire and blow embers from long distances onto your roof, think about replacing shakes or covering asphalt with metal roofing. This would be a good month to make those purchases for summer as building materials are expected to increase in price if tariffs materialize (this may be especially true for studs and wood sheeting imported from Canada).
While we do not have the ferocity of the Santa Ana winds experienced in Los Angeles nor their drought given our 4 feet of snow on the ground, things could dry out going into breakup. There is a large amount of fuel between structures in Interior Alaska as well as frequent lightning strikes and occasional squirrels on powerlines that can produce sparks. Anecdotal reports have noted that the buildings in Los Angeles that survived the fires tended to be passive homes that had remote walls and more insulation in them.
While we have milder winds and homes are spread farther apart than in Los Angeles, we can learn from their difficulties this pre-building season to help reduce wildfires around our homes.
Art Nash is statewide energy specialist at Cooperative Extension Service, a part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, working in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For questions or comments, contact him at 907-474-6366 or alnashjr@alaska.edu
GKM Roofing
February 24, 2025 — 6:32 am
This is such an important reminder, especially as we approach the spring thaw. I think a lot of people underestimate how crucial defensible space is for wildfire prevention. The tips about trimming trees, clearing brush, and using fire-retardant materials are spot on. It’s also great to consider things like metal roofing or relocating firewood piles to reduce risk. Even in areas where fires aren’t as common, it’s better to be proactive and prepared. The reminder about possible increases in building material prices is also a great heads-up for anyone thinking of construction this summer. Thanks for sharing these valuable insights!