“Walter got me a prompt quote and completed my project in a timely manner. Highly reccomend getting a quote from WalSar”
Fire mitigation in North Idaho and eastern Washington
Thinning, ladder-fuel removal and defensible space around homes. Most yard-only tree services don't touch it. We do.
This is wildfire country
North Idaho and northeast Washington are dry, timbered and built right up against the woods. When a fire comes through, what's growing around a house makes a big difference to whether it survives.
- Rural homes and cabins surrounded by timber
- Acreage with overgrown stands and brush underneath
- Properties from Priest Lake and Sandpoint down to Newport and Spokane
Defensible space, zone by zone
Fire agencies split the area around a house into three zones. The closer to the house, the less there should be to burn.
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0-5 ft
Immediate zone
Nothing that burns. Clear needles and leaves off the roof and out of the gutters, and move firewood, mulch and brush away from the walls.
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5-30 ft
Intermediate zone
Remove ladder fuels so a ground fire can't climb into the trees. Limb trees 6 to 10 feet up (no more than a third of the height on smaller trees), keep about 18 feet between crowns (more on a slope), and keep canopies at least 10 feet off the house.
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30-100 ft
Extended zone
Clear heavy ground litter, dead trees and small conifers growing between bigger ones. Leave at least 12 feet between crowns out to 60 feet, and 6 feet from 60 to 100.
Distances and spacing from NFPA's Firewise guidance on preparing homes for wildfire.
What Walsar does
The tree and brush work in the zones above, start to finish.
Storm and disaster work. Walsar also works with Kustom US on disaster relief after wind damage and other natural disasters.
- Thinning
- Opening up crowded stands so fire can't run crown to crown.
- Ladder-fuel removal
- Cutting low limbs, small trees and brush that carry ground fire up into the canopy.
- Defensible space
- Clearing space around your home, shop and outbuildings.
- Slash cleanup
- Gathering up the limbs and brush the work leaves behind.
- Chipping
- Running slash and brush through the chipper, with job debris hauled away and the site left clean.
Before fire season
Work done in the fall, winter and spring is finished before the dry months.
- Start close to the house and work outward
- Thin and limb first, then clean up the slash
- Recheck every year: brush and needles grow back
What customers say
“Top tier company! Can't go wrong having Walter take care of your tree service needs!”
Fire mitigation questions
What is defensible space?
It's the area around a house where trees, brush and anything else that burns are thinned out or cleared, so a wildfire slows down and stays on the ground before it reaches the house.
How much does fire mitigation cost?
It depends on how much ground is covered, how thick the trees and brush are, the slope, and what happens to the slash. We'll walk the property and give you a free written quote.
When should I do it?
Before summer. Work done in the fall, winter and spring is finished before the dry months.
What happens to the brush and slash?
Walsar chips it and hauls away the job debris, so the property is left clean instead of covered in slash piles.
Free, same-day quotes, written and itemized.
Call for a same-day quote.