What Is Defensible Space—And Why It Matters for Legacy Landowners
If you steward land in Colorado—or anywhere in the wildfire-prone West—you’re not just caring for property. You’re protecting a legacy.
And the first step in protecting that legacy is creating defensible space.
What Exactly Is Defensible Space?
Defensible space is the carefully planned buffer between your home, structures, and the surrounding vegetation. It’s not about removing everything. It’s about strategically reducing fire fuels—brush, trees, debris—so a wildfire slows or stops before it reaches what you’ve built.
Proper defensible space:
Reduces wildfire intensity near homes and ranch buildings
Gives firefighters room to work safely
Lowers insurance risk and meets county or HOA code
Increases your odds of rebuilding—and recovering—after a disaster
Why It Matters for Legacy Landowners
If your land has been passed down—or you’re preparing it to be—then what you build today affects future generations.
The choices you make about land management can either increase risk or build long-term resilience.
Many ranches and private estates are located in what's known as the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI)—the zone where forest and human development meet. In these zones, wildfires spread quickly and unpredictably. Without mitigation, even remote homesteads are vulnerable.
Defensible space is a way of actively protecting not just your structures—but your story.
What Outlaw Forestry Brings to the Table
We specialize in helping high-value and heritage properties implement defensible space strategies with minimal environmental disruption and maximum impact.
With Bryce Gidney’s field-tested approach, we focus on:
Low-impact mastication and selective thinning
Ecological integrity (we remove what’s necessary and preserve what matters)
Equipment suited to steep, forested, or sensitive terrain
Custom plans tailored to landowner values, property layout, and wildlife habitat goals
Field-First, Family-Focused
This isn’t just our job. It’s our calling.
Bryce has spent nearly a decade helping landowners build safer, smarter spaces for the generations to come—while honoring the wild beauty of the land today.
Want help assessing your property’s risk?
Outlaw Forestry offers on-site evaluations and custom fire mitigation plans. Let’s start with a conversation.
