Despite the shelter in place order, homeowners still need to get their properties ready for the upcoming fire season.
On April 29, Contra Costa Health Services eased some rules allowing a limited number of businesses to resume, including landscapers and gardening services.
The Moraga-Orinda Fire District deadline for homeowners to comply with the hazard reduction standards is June 15. The requirements are:
• Annual grass and weeds cut to less than 3 inches.
• Trees limbed/trimmed to create at least 5 feet of vertical clearance between the lowest portion of the canopy and the ground or ground fuels.
• Concentrations of wild or non-irrigated brush thinned or removed.
• Ladder fuels removed to disrupt the fuel bed.
• Roofs maintained free of leaves and other tree litter.
• Roadside maintained to create 3 feet of horizontal and 15 feet of vertical clearance.
• Dead or diseased trees removed.
• Dead combustible vegetation removed.
Melanie Light is chair of the Orinda Firewise Council, a consortium of leaders from 13 Orinda Firewise groups working on fire prevention efforts. Reach her at info@melanielight.com.
