Forest Fire Protection

The Black Hills have seen one of the worst fire seasons in generations. Of the tens of thousands of acres burned in the Black Hills, we were very fortunate to lose so few homes. Thanks in large part to the efforts of the firefighters on the scene. Many of our customers--who live among the trees--have voiced concerns over their homes and the trees around them. We would like to take this opportunity to give everyone some brief pointers on making their homes less susceptible to forest fires.

• Trim branches of large trees away from the home; you do not want any branches touching the home.
• Clear trees from around the home, depending on the slope your home is on:
  • clear 30 feet around for flat to gentle slope (0 - 20%)
  • clear 100 feet around for moderately steep slope (21 - 40%)
  • clear 200 feet around for steep slope (over 40%)
• Thin bunched trees; Ponderosa Pines can create a very thick forest when not thinned. An adequately thinned forest will not promote the fast burning we saw this summer.
• Keep the grass and bush areas around the home well watered.
• Remove any fallen trees immediately from the property; all they do is dry out and create fuel for a fire, as well as attract the pine beetle.

I know many of you love your trees, and have chosen to live amongst the pines. It is a very difficult decision to cut any of the healthy, majestic trees close to your home. But in the case of forest fires, we recommend safety first.