By Ali Chipouras EBS COLUMNIST
This summer in Montana, the 2025 wildfire season reminded us just how unpredictable fire can be. Statewide, total acreage burned remained relatively low, just over 76,000 acres, the fourth-lowest in the past 15 years. However, the number of individual starts was high at around 2,200.
In late August, the West Fork Fire broke out in the southern Madison Range, roughly 20 miles south of Big Sky. From its ignition on Aug. 19, until containment later in the season, wildfire crews battled the blaze. Even though crews eventually achieved containment, the West Fork Fire,and others nearby, were stark reminders of the risk and real impacts of embers, smoke and fire.
Home ignition zone
Now more than ever, creating defensible, well-planned landscapes around our homes is essential for safety, community resilience and long-term ecological health. A major part of that work is understanding the home ignition zone, which is the roughly 200 feet around your home that has the greatest influence on a structure’s potential to survive a wildfire. By managing this space thoughtfully, homeowners, renters and property owners can dramatically reduce ignition risk.
The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s Montana Wildland Fire Preparedness Guide provides detailed checklists for each part of the Home Ignition Zone. Below is a streamlined overview of the three landscape zones and the recommended best practices for each.
Immediate Zone: 0-5 feet from the home
Wind-blown embers are the biggest threat to homes during a wildfire. This zone should be kept as close to non-combustible as possible. The DNRC provides examples of what homeowners can do to secure the immediate zone.
Homeowners can remove wood mulch, firewood, dead leaves, pine needles and other flammable items, install 1/8-inch metal mesh screening on vents and other openings to prevent ember entry, seal gaps in siding, trim and roof edges with high-quality caulk and maintain it annually and use non-flammable fencing materials where a fence attaches to the house.
Intermediate Zone: 5-30 feet from the home
The intermediate zone area should stay “lean, clean, and green,” especially during fire season. Homeowners are encouraged to remove dead grasses, weeds, brush and dried vegetation, keep lawns and native grasses mowed and well-watered, prioritize low-growing, non-woody, herbaceous plants with good spacing and break up continuous fuels with rock features, paths, patios or irrigated landscaping.
Extended Zone: 30-100 feet or more from the home
In this part of the home ignition zone, the focus is on reducing overall fuel and slowing fire spread. The DNRC recommends residents clear leaf litter, needles, and woody debris from the yard, maintain grasses and wildflowers at under eight inches in height and thin overcrowded trees and shrubs to improve spacing and eliminate ladder fuels.
A landscape that works smarter, not harder
Creating fire-ready landscapes isn’t about removing nature—it’s about planning with intention. By choosing native plants, reducing excess fuels and using water wisely, residents can establish landscapes that are safer during wildfire season while supporting wildlife habitat, reducing water use and enhancing ecosystem services such as soil health, pollination and watershed function.
Curious what improvements could make the biggest impact on your property?Schedule a free site visit this spring with Alpenscapes’ partners the Big Sky Fire Department, Gallatin River Task Force and Grow Wild. Learn more at Alpenscapes.org.
Ali Chipouras, writing on behalf of Big Sky’s Alpenscapes, is a sustainability and communications consultant with nearly a decade of experience helping organizations and communities in Montana advance their climate and resilience goals. Based in Bozeman, she enjoys spending time in the mountains.
