Key Takeaways:
The greatest problem is the absence of vegetation management altogether, says Eric Kurfehs, owner of 5K Land Management.
“It’s not what they’re doing, it’s what they’re not doing,” he says. “What they’re not doing is not taking care of it. It’s all about maintenance and control.”
Budget pressures often push wooded areas to the bottom of the maintenance priority pile because they aren’t viewed as revenue-generating assets. “A lot of times what it boils down to is somebody doesn’t want to spend money,” Kurfehs says.
But he warns that postponing maintenance can create much larger financial consequences later.
“Having a catastrophic failure to a commercial building over a few $1,000 of maintenance a year sounds small in the grand scheme of things,” he says.
Beyond repair costs, wildfire damage can cause weeks — or even months — of operational downtime.
“I know how hard it is when you have days or weeks of downtime,” Kurfehs says. “That length of downtime could shut your doors instantly, and even, permanently.”
His perspective on vegetation management aligns with facility managers’ strategies for proactive maintenance of HVAC and roofs. Facility managers see minor spending on these systems as an investment to avert major expenses later.
“Vegetation management is one of those preventative maintenance things that must come to the front, because in the long run you’re going to save a ton of money,” he says.
Every property requires a different approach because no two facilities present identical fire risks, according to Kurfehs.
He explains some sites require routine mowing, while others need selective forestry mulching or brush removal once a year. “It’s definitely going to be scenario-based,” Kurfehs says.
Rather than removing every tree, he shares his crews begin by eliminating underbrush, invasive species and small saplings while preserving healthy hardwoods whenever possible.
“We like to keep as many mature, good trees as we can,” he says. “The goal is to create what many clients describe as a ‘park-like setting.’ We will go through and start taking out ground level brush and smaller saplings to make it like a park, where the trees have a nice even space between them, and the area is walkable and maintainable.”
Only when necessary do crews remove large trees, he adds.
“Should the tree be dead or the viable trees remain too close to the structure, we will then selectively remove trees,” he explains.
Because every site is different, Kurfehs encourages facility managers to seek professional evaluations before making major vegetation management decisions.
Many assessments begin with satellite imagery before crews ever visit a site. “I will look at ta property via satellite first to get an idea of what I’m looking at,” he says.
This approach allows specialists to identify potential hazards and recommend treatment strategies without unnecessary work.
Sprinklers, alarms and emergency plans will always be part of facilities management. But in an era of longer wildfire seasons and expanding development, the first layer of fire protection is outside a building’s four walls.
“Investing in defensible space today can help ensure a facility is still standing tomorrow,” Kurfehs concludes.
Ronnie Wendt is the owner of In Good Company Communications and a freelance writer specializing in articles for the facilities management, aviation, RV and automotive, meetings and events, security, logistics and business technology industries.
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