Wildfire Defensible Space for Hill Country Homes: Trees, Cedar and What to Clear

The Hill Country west of Austin has seen serious wildfires, and dry, windy summers with plenty of cedar make the risk real for homes in Leander, Cedar Park, Liberty Hill and nearby. You can't fireproof a property, but how you manage the trees and brush around your house makes a big difference.

This follows widely used defensible-space guidance like that from the Texas A&M Forest Service. Check their resources and your local fire department for specifics.

The zones around your house

Zone 1: 0–5 feet from the house

The most important area. Embers landing here can ignite the house directly.

• No cedar, dense shrubs or tree limbs touching the house.
• Clear dead leaves and needles from the roof, gutters and against the walls.
• Use rock, gravel or well-watered plants near the foundation instead of wood mulch.

Zone 2: 5–30 feet

• Trim tree limbs back several feet from the roof and chimney.
• Remove ladder fuels: low branches, brush and small trees under bigger trees that let a ground fire climb into the canopy.
• Space trees and shrubs so crowns don't touch.
• Remove dead trees, dead limbs and brush piles.

Zone 3: 30–100 feet (or to your property line)

• Thin dense cedar and brush.
• Raise the lower limbs of trees so ground fire can't easily reach the canopy.
• Remove dead and dying trees.
• Keep grass mowed during dry periods.

Why cedar matters

Ashe juniper (cedar) is oily, holds dead material in its interior and grows in dense thickets, so it burns hot and fast. Cedar near a house, or cedar growing up under oaks as ladder fuel, is one of the most common things to clear. You don't have to clear all of it. Thinning and removing cedar closest to the house does the most good. See cedar tree removal.

Keep the oaks, lift the canopy

Live oaks are much less flammable than cedar. Instead of removing them, the usual approach is:

• clear cedar and brush from underneath,
• raise the lowest limbs,
• remove deadwood.

Follow oak wilt timing for this work (avoid February through June) and paint every oak cut. See when to trim oak trees.

Maintenance, not a one-time job

Cedar seedlings and brush grow back. Plan on a light cleanup every year or two to keep defensible space working.

Frequently asked questions

How far should trees be from my house for wildfire safety? Keep the first 5 feet clear of flammable plants and touching limbs, trim limbs back from the roof, and manage brush and ladder fuels out to at least 30 feet, farther on slopes.

Should I remove all the cedar on my property for fire safety? Not necessarily. Removing cedar near the house and under oaks, and thinning dense stands, does the most good.

What are ladder fuels? Low branches, brush and small trees under larger trees that let a ground fire climb up into the canopy.

Does clearing brush lower wildfire risk? Yes. Reducing dense brush and ladder fuels near structures is one of the most effective ways to reduce wildfire risk to a home.

Get a defensible space quote

Use the form below with photos of the house and the trees and brush around it. We can clear cedar, lift canopies and haul everything off. Related: lot and brush clearing · tree service.