LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan is basking in an early start to spring weather, but that also means the state has entered wildfire and brushfire season as well.

Wildfire season in the Northern Lower Peninsula typically starts in late March, but officials started responding to wildfires in early February this year.

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In Ingham County last month, an extensive brushfire originated from a homeowner’s burning debris.

Forest officials are advising Michiganders to focus on preventing wildfires and brushfires by making their homes more resistant to wildfires. They call this process “hardening.” This includes creating a 30-foot defensible space area around the home to buffer wildfires.

In addition, hardening the home includes:

  • Cleaning debris from rain gutters and roof valleys
  • Removing dead brush in flower beds around the home’s foundation
  • Knocking down last year’s wasp and bird nests
  • Moving the wood pile away from the house and removing those piles of leaves and needles on and under patio decks
  • Thinning brush, trimming trees and vines close to the ground

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