In this zone, which extends from 5 to 30 feet from the home, remove dead vegetation and debris, and maintain spacing between shrubs and trees. Remove 'ladder fuels' (i.e., trees or shrubs that are growing under other trees) because they can increase the probability of fire moving into the tree canopy. Keep vegetation in this zone irrigated. Hardscape and plant islands or beds can help maintain horizontal separation to reduce the spread of fire.

• Clear vegetation from under large stationary propane tanks.

• Create fuel breaks with driveways, walkways/paths, patios, and decks.

• Keep lawns and native grasses mowed to a height of four inches.

• Remove ladder fuels (vegetation under trees) so a surface fire cannot reach the crowns. Prune trees up to six to ten feet from the ground; for shorter trees do not exceed 1/3 of the overall tree height.

• Space trees to have a minimum of eighteen feet between crowns with the distance increasing with the percentage of slope.

• Tree placement should be planned to ensure the mature canopy is no closer than ten feet to the edge of the structure.

• Tree and shrubs in this zone should be limited to small clusters of a few each to break up the continuity of the vegetation across the landscape.