Though I am rather a glass full and overflowing kind of gal, I am noticing that the topics that come to me here are rather gloom doomish. If you have seen a local disclosure package, you'll know it is quite lengthy, and if you actually read it all, you may worry that owning property here at the golden gate is fraught with peril.
Hiking on the mountain and smelling the chemise and coyote brush reminds me that we are now in the fire season for our area, so today's subject is choosing real estate with fire in mind.
The WUI zone is where structures and other "human development meet and intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels." In other words, houses surrounded by wildland plant life.
Though I am a plant nerd, and love the feeling of luxuriant vegetation, in our mediterranean climate, where we get little to no rain during the summer, vegetation dries out and becomes tinder by September/ October, just waiting for a spark to set it off. On the coast the fog keeps things moist, so the fire prone areas are more inland in the hotter locations such as Novato and the eastern slopes of Mt. Tam.
Much of Marin's wonderfulness is due to the fact that almost anywhere in the county you can walk to open space of some kind: Marin County Open Space, Marin Municiple Water District, Mt. Tam State Park, Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Since much of these open space area's contain fire dependent vegetation, fire is a natural part of life in these area's. Property ownership within these plant communities comes with the likelihood of fire at some point. As people have increasingly moved into fire prone areas, fire protection costs have become prohibitive. Here's info about the new state fire protection fee.
While defensible space is key to protecting your property in a WUI zone, it is good to consider location first and foremost. Understanding basic fire behavior is important if you are looking at property adjacent to fire prone wildlands.
Moving into a high fire danger location, and then mowing down all the vegetation that makes the place magical in the first place, may not be the most practical (not to mention ecological) approach. In certain locations, defensible space will not protect you. Personally, I would especially avoid owning property at the top of a narrow or box canyon, in chaparral, no matter how gorgeous the views. If you insist, maybe build your house with stone, steel, or concrete.
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