Brush your land now to avoid fires during the summer

Find on the site georisques.gouv.fr all practical information on clearing operations. This is an effective preventive measure to reduce the number and impact of forest and vegetation fires. The ideal period is winter period. However, brush clearing can be carried out all year round.

Brush clearing consists in reducing the mass of plant material of all kinds (grasses, branches, leaves, etc.) on a land to create discontinuities between:

• tall vegetation (shrubs and trees) and low vegetation (grasses, plants, etc.);
• plants of the same size;
• plants and buildings.

These discontinuities make it possible to reduce the risk of fire, and in the event of fire to slow down the spread of the latter and to reduce its intensity. The further away a tree is from a dwelling or other tree, the more difficult it will be for the fire to spread; and generally speaking, the less combustible material is present, the less powerful the fire will be.

In certain areas particularly exposed to the risk of forest fires, clearing is mandatory or risk being imposed an administrative or even criminal penalty. Even if your land is not subject to the legal obligation to clear brush, it is still recommended if your home is close to a wooded area. Brush clearing helps protect your home. In the event of a fire, you can stay there for the necessary time without putting yourself in danger by taking your car for example.

Find your Prefecture with this simulator to know your clearing obligations.

How to properly clear your land?

To properly clear your land, you must:

• remove shrubs under trees;
• cutting branches or trees in contact with your home;
• reduce the mass of plants on the ground;
• trim your hedges;
• pruning the lower branches of trees;
• do not store green waste from brush clearing.

Brush clearing must be carried out every year. It is advisable to carry out the actions of cutting trees and shrubs during the winter; the operations on the low vegetation can, for their part, be carried out until the end of spring. You can also hire a professional, who has the necessary knowledge and tools.

Brush clearing consists in reduce the amount of plants to a depth of at least 50 meters around your home or other facilities of any kind and thus create discontinuities in the remaining vegetation. According to your department to keep the trees at a distance so that they do not touch each other.

Brush clearing also concerns private lanes with a maximum depth of 10 meters on either side of the track.