We don't really have wildfires in Michigan, BUT

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When you hear the word “wildfire”, likely you picture an image of twenty-foot flames consuming a bone-dry forest in Northern California or burning through the plains of Wyoming. Michigan, with its frequent summer thunderstorms, lakes and luscious green landscape likely doesn’t come to mind as an at-risk area. However, the DNR reporsts that approximately 600 wildfires occur in Michigan every year. While that’s a small fraction of the amount that effect western states, there are still a few things home owners should be aware of especially during the high season (which is April, May, and June in Michigan). 

Here we’ve compiled some practical tips for protecting your family and home from the effects of wildfire:

• Ridding your landscape of combustible materials to within 5-feet of it. Use brick, gravel or concrete instead. Remove tree branches that overhang the deck and house. Ensure there is no dry or dead vegetation.

• Consider replacing your siding with noncombustible siding. Otherwise, “ensure that there is a 6-inch ground-to-siding clearance,” according to the Insurance Institute for Business and Safety.

• Maintain your roof by consistently removing debris. Hot embers love the stuff.

• Do the same with gutters – keep them clear of debris during fire season.

• Replace wood fences with noncombustible materials.

• Install 1/8-inch metal mesh over roof vents.

• Don’t forget the deck. Those boards are combustible. . .maintain that defensible space mentioned in the first step.

While Michigan is not on the top of the list for wildfire occurances, keep these tips in mind as we head in to the next few weeks of summer! (Have you seen that forecast?! Hot dry heat for days.) Or at the very least, take a look at our suggestions for keeping your yard green and plants alive even when its 93 degrees outside!