High Desert Living

The natural beauty we enjoy in High Desert carries an elevated risk from wildfires, especially during our dry season before the monsoons. There are many steps homeowners can take to lessen the threat to life and property should such a wildfire occur. To aid in that preparation, Albuquerque Fire Rescue has provided the information on this page and a brochure that you can download which details the precautionary steps you can take.

The Fire Prevention Working Group (FPWG) was formed in mid-2019 as a sub-group of the High Desert Landscape Committee. It is an advisory group tasked with creating a Fire Prevention and Mitigation plan for High Desert and for educating residents about wildfire. The Working Group is made up of homeowners interested in fire prevention, and any homeowner can join or attend any meeting. Judy Pierson is the current Chair of the FPWG and reports to the Board on its activities and requests. Contact her at 505-220-9193: judy@judypierson.com.

In late 2020, the FPWG presented its report to the Board, outlining its mission, goals and work throughout the past year. The full report can be obtained from HOAMCO. The information below is from the Working Group’s Appendix 2: Fire Mitigation Checklist - Short

Form for Premier and Estate homes. (This working checklist does not substitute for reading the full checklist and the Guidelines for Sustainability for Premier and Estate Homes.) There is no mitigation list for Builder homes which are built on smaller lots with uniform landscaping. However the biggest fire danger to Builder homes comes from adjacent Association- or City-owned arroyos.

The FPWG will be focusing this year on making arroyos safer.

ALL AREAS:

For each area take fire prevention steps:

• Remove dead plant material, like leaf and pine needles yearly prior to fire season (March 1).

• Reduce woody shrubs, and plant with fire-resistant vegetation.

• Create vegetation islands to reduce a continuous line of fuel.

• Store firewood as far away from the house as possible.

• Trim low branches on mature trees to 16 inches above ground.

PRIVATE AREAS:

Land around home up to privacy wall

• Create a 3- to 5-foot fire break around the house using low growing native vegetation. Non-flammable hard surfaces around the house such as rock gardens, stream beds, etc. are permissible. See guidelines for your village.

• Create vegetation islands to reduce a continuous line of fuel.

• Do not plant trees close to the house. Trim back overhanging or touching branches from the roof to a distance of at least 10 feet.

• Clean roof and gutters of dead debris (leaves, needles), so embers will not ignite there.

• Store firewood as far away from the house as possible.

TRANSITION AREAS:

Land between privacy wall and building envelope

• Create a 5-foot fire break around the building envelope using low growing native vegetation. Noncombustible items like rock, gravel, and dirt can help and may be permissible. See guidelines for your village.

• Refrain from planting trees and bushes close to each other.

• Trim native grasses within the building envelope to a height of 4 inches.

• Trim ladder fuels from bushes 8-10 inches above ground.

NATURAL AREAS:

Land outside of building envelope

• Trim native grasses to 8 inches around trees and shrubs.

• Thin ladder fuels which would allow low fire to jump to higher fuel like grass to shrubs and shrubs to trees.

• Clean up potential fuels in the yard. Replace dead and dying plants, and control weeds. Remove volunteer plants within 3 feet of walls and road.

• Trees must be no less than 10 feet apart at maturity.

• For plants use High Desert Website “Approved and Prohibited High Desert Plants...or “Can I Plant That?”

(Originally appeared in Apache Plume newsletter, February 2021)