- Grants from Utah's Watershed Restoration Initiative aids homeowners in wildfire risk reduction.
- The company Circle Forestry is assisting in creating defensible spaces for homeowners.
- Proper tree management near homes enhances fire protection and firefighter efficiency.
PARK CITY — Several homeowners around the Pinebrook subdivision are taking advantage of state grant money from Utah's Watershed Restoration Initiative to protect their homes from potential wildfire.
Al Spadafora, owner of Circle Forestry, said his company helped several homeowners within the homeowners' association build a defensible space around their homes.
"We particularly want to focus on these areas, this wildland urban interface, because as soon as the fire gets into the neighborhood, it's a lot harder to contain when homes are starting to ignite," Spadafora said.
Homeowners like Grant Thacker used some of the grant money to help pay for the work around their homes. Thacker said his family understands the wildfire risk in the area, as they were evacuated from their home when a fire started in Summit Park a couple of years ago.
Because of human efforts to prevent fires over the years, Spadafora said wildlands around many similar neighborhoods have become overgrown and potentially dangerous.
"Seeing so many trees packed right up against people's houses is really scary," Spadafora said. "You don't want to have any trees within 5 feet of your structure, and then from 5 to 30 feet, you want to have just a managed amount of trees. You don't want to have a wall of fuel."
Spadafora adds that in worst-case scenarios, firefighters may look to protect the homes that they see as the most likely to survive, so they can protect as many homes as possible.
"Creating defensible space around homes is the best way to protect your house and give firefighters the best chance to save it," he said.
