How to Reduce Fire Risk Around Your Home & Property: Trees, Vegetation & Firewood in Marlborough
As Marlborough moves into warmer weather, jobs such as mowing lawns, clearing gutters and tidying the garden tend to make their way back onto the weekend list. But spring is also a good time to look at your property from a fire-safety perspective to reduce fire risk around your home .
You don't have to live on a remote rural block to be exposed to wildfire. Marlborough District Council notes that wildfire risk can exist anywhere there is vegetation nearby and the potential for a spark. In fact, people are responsible for around 98% of wildfires in New Zealand.
Trees, long grass, dead branches, dry leaves, shrubs and even the firewood stacked beside the house can all provide fuel for fire.
The good news? There are practical steps property owners can take before the hot, dry weather arrives.
30-Second Answer: How Can You Reduce Fire Risk Around Your Home?
Start close to your house and work outwards.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) recommends creating and maintaining defensible space around homes by reducing potential fuel and managing vegetation.
Key jobs include:
Removing dead or dying trees and branches.
Pruning large trees so lower branches are at least 2 metres from the ground.
Clearing long grass, dry leaves, twigs, pine needles and other combustible debris.
Keeping gutters and areas around decks clear.
Thinning dense trees and shrubs.
Managing vegetation within 30 metres of the home.
Keeping firewood at least 10 metres away from the house during fire season.
Checking that overgrown trees aren't restricting emergency vehicle access.
Removing or replacing highly flammable vegetation close to buildings.
It doesn't necessarily mean clearing every tree from around your home. The aim is to reduce the amount and arrangement of vegetation that could allow a fire to spread towards buildings.
Why Trees and Vegetation Matter During a Wildfire
A tree doesn't have to catch fire from the bottom up to become a problem. Wildfires can threaten buildings through direct flames, radiant heat and airborne embers. Embers can also collect in vulnerable areas such as gutters, roofs, decks and around windows or vents.
Around the garden, the bigger concern is often continuous fuel.
Imagine dry grass running into a dense shrub, with low branches above it and a larger tree canopy overhead. Rather than isolated plants, you've potentially created a pathway through which fire can move from ground vegetation into taller vegetation.
Breaking those connections can help reduce fire intensity and slow its movement around a property.
That can mean mowing grass, removing dead vegetation, pruning low branches, thinning overcrowded trees and creating greater separation between plants.
Should You Remove Trees to Reduce Fire Risk?
Sometimes, but tree removal isn't automatically the answer. A healthy, appropriately positioned tree may simply need maintenance. Pruning low or dead branches and removing vegetation underneath it may significantly change the amount of available fuel.
Removal becomes more important when a tree is:
dead or dying
badly damaged or structurally unstable
surrounded by heavy dry vegetation
growing too close to buildings or other important structures
contributing to an extremely dense group of trees
obstructing access to the property
creating another significant property hazard.
FENZ specifically recommends removing dead or dying trees within its wider defensible, space zones and thinning excess trees so the remaining crowns have separation.
Spring is a useful time to assess these issues rather than discovering them once Marlborough is already hot and dry.
The 0–10 m and 10–30 m Fire-Safety Zones Around Your Home
When preparing a property for wildfire, it helps to think in zones rather than trying to tackle the entire section at once.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand recommends paying particular attention to the vegetation immediately surrounding your home, before working further out into the property.
Zone 1: Within 10 Metres of Your Home
The area closest to your house deserves the most attention.
Within approximately 10 metres, the goal is to minimise anything that could easily ignite or help flames reach the building.
Look for:
Dry leaves, bark, twigs and pine needles accumulating against the house.
Dead vegetation underneath trees and shrubs.
Long or dry grass.
Branches overhanging roofs, decks or other structures.
Dense shrubs growing directly beside buildings.
Dead or dying trees.
Firewood, timber or other combustible materials stored against the house.
Leaves and debris accumulating in gutters or on roofing.
Trees within this area don't necessarily need to be removed. However, their condition, location and surrounding vegetation should be considered carefully.
FENZ recommends pruning large trees so branches are at least 2 metres above the ground, helping create separation between ground-level vegetation and the tree canopy.
That separation matters because fire can move from grass and shrubs into low branches and then upwards through a tree.
Zone 2: From 10–30 Metres
Further away from the house, the focus shifts towards reducing the amount and continuity of vegetation.
Depending on the property, this could include:
Mowing or managing long grass.
Removing dead trees and fallen branches.
Thinning overcrowded trees.
Pruning lower branches.
Removing heavy accumulations of dry vegetation.
Creating space between groups of shrubs and trees.
Keeping tracks and driveways clear.
On lifestyle and rural properties, this wider area may include shelterbelts, paddock edges, sheds, workshops and other outbuildings that should also be considered when assessing fire risk.
The aim isn't to create a bare landscape. It's to avoid having an uninterrupted pathway of combustible vegetation leading towards your home.
Don't Forget Your Driveway and Property Access
Vegetation management isn't only about protecting the house itself. If a fire occurs, emergency crews need to be able to reach the property safely.
Overhanging branches, narrow driveways and dense roadside vegetation can make access more difficult for larger emergency vehicles.
Spring is a good opportunity to walk or drive your entrance and look upwards as well as sideways. Trees can grow considerably over time, and a driveway that was once clear may now have branches encroaching overhead.
Trimming trees and vegetation before summer can help keep access open while also removing additional dry material from around commonly used areas.
Where Should You Store Firewood During Summer?
That convenient stack of winter firewood beside the house may need a new home once fire season approaches.
FENZ recommends keeping firewood and other combustible materials at least 10 metres from the house during fire season.
That includes stacks positioned beside exterior walls, underneath decks or against sheds attached to the home. Firewood is designed to burn. Once seasoned and dry, a large stack represents a concentrated source of fuel.
If possible, choose a dedicated storage area away from the house and keep the surrounding ground free from long grass, dry leaves and other vegetation.
And while you're shifting the woodpile, check what's underneath and behind it. Old stacks can hide significant accumulations of bark, leaves and other dry debris that are easy to overlook during everyday garden maintenance.
Spring Fire-Protection Checklist for Marlborough Properties
Before Marlborough's hotter, drier weather arrives, take a walk around your property and look for jobs that could reduce potential fuel around buildings.
Your Spring Checklist
☐ Clear dry leaves, twigs and debris from around the house and gutters.
☐ Keep grass short, particularly close to buildings.
☐ Remove dead or dying branches.
☐ Check trees for signs of poor health, damage or instability.
☐ Prune low branches where appropriate.
☐ Thin particularly dense areas of trees and shrubs.
☐ Cut back branches overhanging roofs or structures.
☐ Move firewood at least 10 metres from the house during fire season.
☐ Clear vegetation around sheds and other outbuildings.
☐ Check driveways and accessways for overhanging or encroaching trees.
When Tree Work Needs a Professional
Some fire-prevention jobs are easy weekend tasks. Others aren't. Large branches, damaged trees, trees close to houses and trees requiring work at height can present serious risks if tackled without the right equipment or experience.
A professional tree assessment can also help determine whether a tree genuinely needs removing or whether pruning and maintenance would be enough.
This is particularly useful if you have a tree that is dead, declining, leaning, storm-damaged or positioned close to your home.
Prepare Now, Not When Marlborough Dries Out
Fire preparation is much easier while vegetation is still manageable and there is time to deal with larger tree work.
A few targeted jobs in spring can reduce dry fuel around your property, improve access and address potentially hazardous trees before summer conditions arrive.
The goal isn't to strip your property of vegetation. It's to make considered changes that help reduce the opportunity for fire to move through vegetation and towards your home.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far should trees be from a house for fire safety?
There isn't one rule requiring all trees to be a set distance from a home. Instead, consider the tree's size, condition, surrounding vegetation and proximity to buildings. Creating separation between vegetation and removing dead material can help reduce fire risk.
Should I remove trees close to my house before summer?
Not necessarily. Healthy trees may only require pruning or maintenance. Dead, dying, unstable or badly positioned trees may warrant removal, particularly if they are close to buildings or surrounded by other combustible vegetation.
When should I prepare my property for fire season?
Spring is an ideal time to start. Tackling long grass, deadwood, overgrown vegetation and potentially hazardous trees early means you're not trying to complete major property maintenance once hot, dry summer conditions have already arrived.
How far should firewood be stored from the house?
Fire and Emergency New Zealand recommends storing firewood and other combustible materials at least 10 metres from your home during fire season. Keep the area around the woodpile maintained and free from long grass, leaves and other dry vegetation.
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