It’s your responsibility to look after firebreaks on your land. Check with your local county to see what your specific responsibilities are and what might be shared. Also check with the local fire authority to see when you can burn off and how big that fire can be.  It’s important to note that there can be fines if you don’t maintain your property

Using a weed whip or Sickle Hedge Trimmer, cut back long grass along fence lines. It’s a good idea to do this in winter or spring before the grass gets too long. If you have a lot of grass to mower, use a flail mower such as a FH-EF135

Poison around stumps and posts to keep grass away from their base. When spraying, refer to the instructions on the bottle to work out how often you need to spray. You can also use a tractor PTO driven or gas power stump grinder to take care of stumps as well.

Churning up dirt ensures that fire can’t creep across the grass. We have a wide variety of options to do this with. Our backhoe’s with optional larger buckets are a great solution. We also have a large selection of tillers that will also get the job done! Your county will tell you how wide your firebreak needs to be. Ideally it is big enough to protect your property and provide access for a vehicle.

Make sure gates work properly and can open and close. Repair broken fence posts and if necessary dig new post holes. We have post hole diggers to meet the need. You will need access from different parts of your property in case a fallen tree blocks one track. We have log grapples for large tree removal. Then you still have a way to get out. Natural firebreaks on your property, like creek beds or natural gullies, are also beneficial. But remember to maintain them, particularly in gated areas.

Get rid of leaves and sticks raked up during the year. Check when it’s okay to do small controlled burns. Rake green waste into small piles and burn it off when needed.

Firebreaks don’t always have to look barren. Use a veggie patch or garden beds to create nice looking breaks. You will have tilled the earth so it’s not going to burn.