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Record wind, microclimate and existing vegetation

Note prevailing winds, cold air drainage, frost pockets and existing vegetation, because these shape house placement, windbreaks, fire risk and the garden.

How

1. Check prevailing wind directions by season from the nearest weather station records and confirm on site with flags or tree lean.
2. Mark frost pockets (low hollows where cold air pools) and exposed ridges.
3. Inventory existing trees and shrubs: species, size, health and whether they are fire-prone. Mark trees worth keeping for shade, windbreak or habitat.
4. Note which slopes face the prevailing fire-season wind, because slopes running up toward a building need extra fire treatment.
5. Add a vegetation and wind overlay to the base map.

Do these first

• site-4

Sources

1. Firewise Landscapes. University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, accessed 2026-11
2. Defensible Space: Protection Against Wildfires. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Building America Solution Center (US DOE), accessed 2026-11

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