DIY defensible space or hire a crew

Which defensible space jobs can a homeowner do safely?

The ones that do not involve a chainsaw above the ground or a tree falling toward something. Missoula County's property checklist marks several first priority projects as do it yourself: removing roof and yard debris such as leaves and pine needles from gutters, the roof and around fences, and removing vegetation, firewood and other combustible materials from on top of and underneath the deck. NFPA's checklist adds keeping lawns and native grasses mowed to four inches, frequently removing dead vegetation, dried leaves and pine needles from the first five feet, replacing wood mulch with non-combustible mulch such as crushed stone or gravel there, and not storing flammable materials under decks.

These are also the jobs with the highest payoff per hour, because they deal with the area where embers land. NFPA's checklist states that most home losses in a wildfire are from embers, not direct contact with flames. Our zone 0 guide explains what belongs in the first five feet.

Can I limb up my own trees?

Low limbs you can reach from the ground with a hand saw or pole pruner, yes, within limits. NFPA's guidance is to prune trees up to six to ten feet from the ground and, for shorter trees, not to exceed one third of the overall tree height. The Colorado State Forest Service guide uses the same rule: six to ten feet or one third of the tree's height, whichever is less. Over-pruning a conifer stresses it, so stop at the limit. Our guide on how high to limb up trees covers technique.

Where it stops being a homeowner job is when the limbs are higher than you can reach from the ground, large enough to swing or kick back, or over a roof, fence or line. OSHA's chainsaw fact sheet lists operating a chainsaw above shoulder height or above ground level, such as from a ladder or tree, among the higher risk operations where accidents happen because the task is beyond the operator's training, and tells operators not to cut directly overhead.

Should I fell trees myself for defensible space?

Only small trees in open ground, and only if you are a competent saw operator with the gear. OSHA's fact sheet says to plan where the object will fall, make sure the fall area is free of hazards, avoid felling into other objects, keep other people twice as far away as the height of the tree, and never work alone. It lists trees on steep slopes, trees with heavy lean, trees with stem or root rot and trees known to split as higher risk. On many western Montana home sites, every tree worth removing near the house fails at least one of those tests.

Dead trees are worse, not easier. They are brittle and less predictable, as our hazard tree removal page explains. The general case for and against doing your own tree work, including injury data, is in our DIY tree removal guide.

What about trees near power lines?

Leave them alone. OSHA's tree care guidance tells professional crews to assume all power lines are energized and to keep work at least 10 feet away, or call the power company to de-energize and ground the line. Federal rules for electric power work set separate requirements for line-clearance tree trimming. A homeowner has none of the training those rules assume. Call the utility for its own lines, or a crew qualified to work near them; see tree work near power lines.

What gear do you need for the DIY part?

For raking, gutter cleaning and moving combustibles: gloves, eye protection, a stable ladder used with someone else present, and a way to get the debris off the property. For any saw work, OSHA's chainsaw fact sheet lists the protective equipment employers must provide to workers: head protection such as a hard hat, hearing protection, eye or face protection, protective footwear, leg protection such as chaps, work gloves and fall protection as necessary. The same sheet says to fuel the saw at least 10 feet from ignition sources, start it on the ground or another firm support with the brake engaged, and never work alone. If that list looks like more than the job is worth to you, that is useful information.

Season matters for DIY work too. Running a saw or mower in dry grass on a hot afternoon is how fires start, and Montana's summer fire restrictions are explained in our restrictions guide. Do the cutting in fall, winter or spring, and keep summer work to raking and hand tools.

Is slash the real reason to hire someone?

Often it is. Thinning even a modest stand produces far more brush than most people expect, and it has to go somewhere. Piling it for burning means a permit, a legal burn day, and in Missoula County a burn that starts after 9 a.m. and is out by 4 p.m., per Missoula Public Health's 2026 notice. Inside the Missoula Air Stagnation Zone the same notice says burning piles of leaves and grass is illegal, and dumping yard debris on public land is prohibited. Hauling means a trailer and many trips. Leaving it lying recreates the fuel you just cut.

Timing also matters. The Forest Service pine engraver guide hosted by Montana DNRC rates green pine slash created April through July as an extreme infestation risk and says not to stack slash, fresh pine logs or green pine firewood against live, desirable pines. Weekend cutting through spring and early summer is exactly the wrong schedule. A crew with a chipper can cut and dispose in the same day. See slash disposal options and our pine engraver guide.

Does doing it myself affect cost-share eligibility?

It can. Missoula County's Wildfire Ready cost-share page says owners cannot be reimbursed for doing the work themselves and that grant funds require hiring a contractor, though owners may do some treatment plan elements to lower the total cost. That makes a split approach practical: you do the near-house cleanup and moving of combustibles, and the contractor's share covers the thinning and disposal. Check the current rules with the program, and see our cost-share guide.

How do I split a project between DIY and a crew?

Start at the house and work outward, the order NFPA recommends. Do the structure and the first five feet yourself: gutters, roof, deck, mulch, firewood, stored items, propane clearance. Missoula County lists moving an external propane tank more than 10 feet from the home as a professional job, so that one goes to your propane supplier. Mow and keep up the grass. Then hand the trees to a crew: thinning, ladder fuels, high limbing, removals and slash. Afterward, the yearly upkeep is mostly yours again.

Get the assessment first so the split follows the real priorities. The free options are listed in our free assessments guide.

When is hiring clearly the better call?

When trees need to come down within reach of a building, a road, a fence or a line; when the ground is steep; when there is more slash than you can dispose of before beetle season; when you are working to a cost-share deadline; or when you simply do not have the days. It is also the better call when the job is more than a one-time effort, because a crew that knows the property can keep it maintained.

What does a sensible DIY year look like?

Spring: clean gutters, the roof and deck corners, rake the first five feet, and take a look at what the winter brought down. Our spring checklist has the full list. Early summer: keep grass mowed to four inches and water what you want to stay green, as NFPA's checklist recommends. Through fire season: keep firewood, cushions and stored items away from the house, and see keeping defensible space up through fire season. Fall: clean gutters again after needle drop and remove dead stems from shrubs, which the Colorado guide says to do annually. That routine is well within most owners' reach, and it protects what a crew has done. Every few years, walk the place with the zones in mind and see what has grown back.

What does a hired crew bring that a homeowner usually does not?

Insurance, training and equipment. A professional crew should carry liability insurance and workers' compensation, a person with an arborist credential should be deciding which trees go and how much to prune, and the crew should have a chipper or haul capacity sized to the job. Our guide to choosing a fire mitigation contractor explains how to check each of those.

This guide is part of our Montana Wildfire & Defensible Space Guide. Our fire mitigation service is the saw work and slash handling described above, and we are glad to quote just that part. Call HJ Property Care & Tree Service at (406) 215-7319 or request a free estimate and we will walk the property with you.

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