Wildfire Prevention
in Austin & the Texas Hill Country
Cedar thickets, dead brush and ladder fuels stacked against a structure are a real fire risk in the Hill Country. We remove them and build defensible space out from your home.
Clear Ground mulches the fuel in place, works the three home ignition zones from the structure outward, and gives you dated before and after photos of the cleared area to show your insurer, HOA or fire department.
Wildfire prevention means removing cedar and brush from around your buildings, zone by zone, 0 to 100 feet out. It is for homeowners, ranches and HOAs in Austin and Central Texas. Defensible space runs $3,000–$4,500 per acre, and cedar mulching $2,000–$5,200 per acre. Most jobs start 1–3 weeks after approval, and the price includes before and after photos.
DON'T JUST CLEAR THE BRUSH. KEEP A RECORD OF IT.
FIRE RISK ISN'T GUESSWORK.
NEITHER IS THE PLAN.
FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT
Map the fuel before you clear it
WE LOOK AT THE FUEL LOAD.
Before we cut, we walk the property with you. We note where the cedar is thick, where dead brush has piled up, and how close both sit to your structures. That gives the crew a plan instead of a guess. An optional drone scan and 3D surface model of the site is $500–$1,500 per scan.
SITE WALK · DRONE FLIGHT · STRUCTURE PROXIMITY · CEDAR AND BRUSH DENSITY
FUEL REDUCTION
Remove the risk, protect the trees
TARGETED FUEL REMOVAL.
Dense cedar gets mulched. Dead brush and ladder fuels come out. Healthy live oaks and native hardwoods stay. It is selective clearing, driven by the site walk and run with equipment matched to your terrain. Oaks are not pruned or wounded in the wilt window (roughly February through June).
CAT 299D3 XE + FAE MULCHING HEAD · SELECTIVE CLEARING · CEDAR / BRUSH / LADDER FUEL · MULCHED IN PLACE
MID-JOB CHECK
Confirm the work against the plan
A CHECK PARTWAY THROUGH.
On multi-day jobs we fly the site partway through and compare the cleared area to the plan. You see what has come out, what is left, and whether the zones are on track before the crew comes back.
MID-JOB FLIGHT · CLEARED AREA CONFIRMED · ZONE PROGRESS
FINAL CHECK
Defensible space, done
DEFENSIBLE SPACE, DOCUMENTED.
After clearing we fly the site again. The before and after imagery shows the vegetation removed and the zones we worked. It is a dated visual record of the work. It is not a survey and it does not certify anything.
POST-CLEAR FLIGHT · BEFORE/AFTER COMPARISON · ZONES 0–5 / 5–30 / 30–100 FT
DELIVERABLE
Your property record
THE RECORD STAYS WITH YOU.
You get the before and after photos. Send them to your insurance agent, your HOA or your fire department. Whether they credit them is their call. Ours is to show what was done. An optional drone scan adds a 3D surface model, typically 2–3 business days after the flight.
BEFORE/AFTER IMAGERY · 3D MODEL · PROCESSED IN PIX4D · DATED RECORD
Wildfire Prevention
for the Hill Country.
Wildfire prevention on a Hill Country property mostly means one thing: taking cedar and brush away from the buildings, and keeping it away. We do that with a forestry mulcher and an excavator, and we do it by zone.
We work the three home ignition zones the Texas A&M Forest Service describes: 0–5 ft (immediate), 5–30 ft (intermediate) and 30–100 ft (extended). Firewise USA is a community recognition program run by NFPA. It is not a standard for a single parcel, and we do not certify a property as Firewise. Last reviewed: September 2026.
Cedar Removal &
Forestry Mulching
Ashe juniper (cedar) is the main fuel load on most Hill Country property. Our CAT 299D3 XE with an FAE mulching head grinds standing cedar, deadfall and dense brush into ground-level mulch in one pass.
Nothing leaves the site, so there are no haul-off fees. There is no burning, so no burn-ban delays and no smoke. Ashe juniper does not resprout once it is cut below the lowest green limb, so regrowth is mostly seedlings that a yearly visit handles.
Defensible Space
Creation
Defensible space is not one cleared ring. It is three zones: 0–5 ft from the structure, 5–30 ft, and 30–100 ft. Each needs different work. The first five feet are cleared of anything that burns. The next band is thinned and limbed. The outer band breaks up continuous fuel.
Texas has no statewide defensible-space mandate. Inside Austin city limits the City of Austin Wildland-Urban Interface Code applies. Outside the city, your insurer, HOA or local fire department sets the ask. We build to the Texas A&M Forest Service zones.
Brush Reduction &
Fuel Break Construction
A fuel break is a strip where continuous vegetation has been removed, so a fire loses its path across a property. It has to be wide enough and free of ladder fuels.
We place breaks where the site walk shows the most exposure. Our CAT 305.5E2 mini excavator handles grubbing and root removal where the mulcher cannot reach. If you are applying for the Texas A&M Forest Service fuel reduction grant, the grant sets a 66 ft minimum width.
Annual Maintenance &
Vegetation Monitoring
Cedar grows back, mostly from seed. Every year you skip maintenance the fuel load builds again. One clearing job without a follow-up plan is a temporary fix.
Our yearly program covers scheduled visits, cedar seedling removal, a check of the zones we cleared, and updated photos so your record stays current.
Every wildfire project includes the site walk, a written quote, the clearing itself and before and after photos of the cleared area. A drone scan and 3D surface model is an optional add-on, $500–$1,500 per scan. You are buying cleared, zoned fuel and a record of it, not machine hours.
Written quote within 48 hours of the site walk. Most jobs start 1–3 weeks after approval.
Prices reviewed: September 2026. Ranges for Austin and Central Texas; your site walk sets the final number. See the full pricing page.
Cleared ground, and
a record of it.
When your insurance agent or HOA asks what was done around the house, a text from the crew does not help. Dated before and after imagery does.
When you add the optional drone scan, it captures the ground surface: where the vegetation was, and where it is now. The imagery is processed in Pix4D into a map and 3D model. It is not a survey, and whether an insurer credits it is up to the insurer.
Cedar thickets and ladder fuels, seen from above. We flag them and their distance to structures before a branch is cut.
0–5, 5–30 and 30–100 ft. Work moves out from the structure in that order.
Dated imagery of the cleared area. Send the link to your agent, HOA or fire department.
Maintenance visits keep seedlings from rebuilding the fuel load. Annual plans start at $2,000 per year.
Protecting what you
built in the Hill Country.
Hill Country Homeowners
Dense cedar within 30 feet of your house is not a landscaping problem. It is a fire risk. We clear it back, zone by zone, and leave the healthy oaks.
Estate & Ranch Owners
A 20-acre ranch with unchecked cedar is losing water to the trees and stacking up fuel on every acre. We clear cedar and brush at scale, build defensible space around structures, and cut fuel breaks along property lines.
HOAs & Community Associations
Community-wide mitigation takes coordination and paper. We clear common areas, cut fuel breaks between structures, and give the board dated before and after imagery.
Insurance-Driven Clients
If your insurer or agent has asked about defensible space, we do the clearing and give you dated before and after imagery to send them. We cannot promise a premium change. That is the insurer’s decision.
Every wildfire project follows the same five steps, from site walk to delivered record.
We walk the site
and fly it
Zones defined
priority areas flagged
Cedar and brush removed
defensible space built
Cleared area
flown again
Before and after
imagery and 3D model
The iron behind
the fire line.
Compact track loader with an FAE forestry mulching head. It grinds cedar, brush and dead vegetation into ground-level mulch on site, on the slopes and rock of Hill Country ground.
Mini excavator with a hydraulic hammer for root grubbing, fuel break edges and work close to buildings. Its compact radius keeps it clear of structures.
Optional add-on. Drone with RTK positioning. It maps vegetation, canopy and structure proximity on the ground surface. It is not a survey and it cannot see below the surface.
Excavator with a 1,500 lb hydraulic hammer for rock, stumps and heavy roots that a mulcher will not touch.
Wildfire prevention questions, answered.
How much does wildfire prevention cost in Central Texas?
Defensible space runs $3,000–$4,500 per acre. Cedar mulching runs $2,000–$5,200 per acre, depending on density. Your site walk sets the final number.
What are the defensible space zones?
The Texas A&M Forest Service describes three home ignition zones: 0–5 ft (immediate), 5–30 ft (intermediate) and 30–100 ft (extended). We work them in that order, from the structure out.
Is defensible space required in Texas?
Texas has no statewide defensible-space mandate. Inside Austin city limits the City of Austin Wildland-Urban Interface Code applies. Outside the city, your insurer, HOA or local fire department sets the ask.
Is Firewise USA a standard for my property?
No. Firewise USA is a community recognition program run by NFPA. It is not a parcel standard, and we do not certify a property as Firewise.
Does cedar grow back after you clear it?
Ashe juniper does not resprout once it is cut below the lowest green limb. Regrowth is mostly new seedlings, which a yearly maintenance visit removes. Mesquite and some other brush do resprout.
How soon can you start, and how long does it take?
Written quote within 48 hours of the site walk. Most jobs start 1–3 weeks after approval. Job length depends on acreage and cedar density.
Will this lower my insurance premium?
We cannot promise that. We give you dated before and after photos you can send to your agent. Whether it changes your premium or renewal is the insurer's decision.
Can the Texas grant pay for this work?
Sometimes. The Texas A&M Forest Service Mechanical Fuel Reduction Grant reimburses landowners in eligible counties. The 2026 window has closed. See our grant page for what happens next and the 2027 waitlist.
Last reviewed: September 2026. Sources: Texas A&M Forest Service, NFPA Firewise USA, City of Austin.
Cedar Removal & Defensible Space
Fuel Breaks & Brush Reduction
Annual Maintenance
Texas Fuel Reduction Grant
Related: forestry mulching · land clearing · pricing · land clearing calculator
Book Your
Site Walk.
Every project starts with a site walk. We flag the fuel, agree on zones and acreage, and send a written quote within 48 hours of the walk.