Defensible-space vegetation stewardship audit (NFPA 1144 / Firewise) —.

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it.

Bring

• The home and its surrounding zones, walked in daylight from a safe distance
• A tape measure or paced-off distance estimate for crown spacing
• A phone camera for species photos of any uncertain plant
• A notebook or form with one section per zone (Zone 0, Zone 1, Zone 2)

Steps

1. 1. Identify the structure and mark out its three Home Ignition Zone rings per NFPA 1144 / Firewise: Zone 0 (0-5 ft), Zone 1 (5-30 ft), Zone 2 (30-100 ft).
2. 2. Walk Zone 0 first: this zone should hold no combustible plant material at all (bare ground, rock, pavers only). Record any plant, mulch, or other combustible material found here as the top-priority line in the plan.
3. 3. Walk Zone 1 and Zone 2: identify each plant's species (or photograph and flag uncertain), then record its flammability characteristics per PNW 590's own framework — moisture content, dead-material retention, resin/oil/aromatic content, and growth habit — never a fixed 'fire-resistant species list' read in isolation.
4. 4. Measure or pace off crown-to-crown spacing between plants and crown-to-structure spacing, noting any ladder-fuel pattern (shrubs or dead material directly under a tree canopy) that could carry fire vertically.
5. 5. Note the maintenance condition of each plant or area — dead material buildup, irrigation status, mulch/duff depth — since PNW 590 states plainly that maintenance affects fire behavior more than species selection alone ('fire-resistant does not mean fireproof').
6. 6. While walking, watch for any tree structural risk sign (crack, cavity, hanging limb, sudden lean, conks); if seen, note it and cross-route that tree to this library's separate urban_tree_visual_health_check packet and an ISA Certified Arborist — do not assess risk here.
7. 7. Compile the findings into a prioritized stewardship plan: Zone 0 violations first, then the closest-and-driest fuels, then spacing and ladder-fuel fixes further out.
8. 8. Name, for every item on the plan, the route to have it actually done: a licensed vegetation-management crew, or this repo's own defensible_space_vegetation_clearing labor packet. Never cut, prune, pull, or clear anything as part of this audit, however small.

What counts as done

• Zone 0 (0-5 ft) walked and checked for any combustible plant material or mulch; a violation is flagged as the top-priority line in the plan, never cleared on the spot
• Every plant within the assessed Zone 1 (5-30 ft) and Zone 2 (30-100 ft) area identified by species (or photographed and flagged uncertain) with its flammability characteristics recorded per PNW 590's characteristic framework — moisture content, dead-material retention, resin/oil/aromatic content, growth habit — never a rigid species checklist alone
• Crown-to-crown spacing and crown-to-structure spacing measured or paced off and recorded against the zone's own Firewise separation guidance, including any ladder-fuel pattern (shrubs or dead material directly beneath a tree canopy)
• Maintenance condition noted per plant or area — dead material, irrigation status, mulch/duff depth — since PNW 590 states maintenance drives fire behavior more than species selection alone
• A prioritized stewardship plan recorded (Zone 0 violations first, then closest-and-driest), with every item requiring an actual cut, prune, or removal routed by name to a licensed vegetation-management crew or this board's own defensible_space_vegetation_clearing labor packet — nothing cut, pruned, or cleared as part of this audit

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.