Here in Australia, we are all too familiar with the devastation that can be caused by bushfires. More frequent, higher temperatures caused by climate change have led to even longer fire seasons and higher risk of bushfires, which is why it is so important to make sure you are prepared.
A home that is bushfire ready is much easier to defend than one that is not, and preparedness also reduces the risk to neighbouring properties. Now is the time to get organised and protect yourself, your family, and your home.
Our Top Tips
Here are our top tips for preparing your property this bushfire season.
- Contact your local Arborist to do an inspection of your property’s trees, plants and shrubs. The Arborist will be able to provide expert advice around how you can best prepare for bushfire season by highlighting any threats posed by your vegetation and advise the best course of action to negate those risks.
- If you have any trees, shrubs or plants within close proximity to your house, ensure they are well maintained and regularly trimmed. Depending on their size, density and proximity to the house, they may need to be pruned back, removed or relocated so they don’t pose a risk of spreading fire to your house. Any low-lying branches should also be cut back.
- Make sure your roof, gutters, downpipes and drains are kept clear from debris like leaves, sticks and twigs and bark. You may even want to consider having gutter guards installed as a further preventative measure.
- Keep your grass short and well maintained. Fire can sweep through long grass and spread into other areas very quickly.
- Do you live on acreage or does your property back onto bushland? If so, you may need to create a fire break to border your property. A fire break is where a gap or ‘break’ is created in vegetation that essentially acts as a barrier to stop or slow a bushfire. The fire break needs to be of sufficient size to be effective. Ask your local fire station for advice if you aren’t sure.
- Make sure your hoses are long enough to reach the boundaries of your property in the event of a fire.
- Don’t keep flammable green waste materials such as grass clippings, piles of leaves, twigs and branches laying around.
- Store all flammable liquids as far away from your house as possible and preferably in non-combustible containers.
- Keep the area immediately surrounding your house as clear as possible of any flammable items such as firewood, mulch, boxes, newspapers and outdoor furniture for example.
- If you have gardens close to your house consider mulching with stones and rocks rather than traditional mulch material.
- Keep up to date on any fire ban warnings and obey these instructions at all times.
- Have a plan. Make sure all members of the family know what to do in the unfortunate event of a fire.
Prevent Bushfire Damage This Season
Don’t take any chances this bushfire season. Call now for a free quote on a bushfire prevention tree maintenance service from Aussie Tree Solutions. We’ve been looking after South-East Queensland trees for over 35 years and have extensive experience in bushfire prevention practices. Whether it’s tree pruning, tree removals or just some expert advice you can trust – Aussie Tree Solutions are your local team of tree care professionals.