AUBURN, CA - The buzz of chainsaws and the snap of falling branches cluttered Noel Flecklin's property in Auburn on Monday. "You always have to be fire ready," said Flecklin.

Flecklin lives on two acres of what once was very wooded property. But over the past several years he has meticulously landscaped the yard around his home to make sure he is as fire-safe as possible.

"It's work, but it's important to keep the place clean so a fire doesn't start," said Flecklin. "All we have to have is one match and a little breeze and away it goes and I don't want to lose this place."

Not all of Flecklin's neighbors have followed his lead. "I actually have cleared areas that are not on my property just to make sure I'm safe," he said. "If a fire does come through at least I'll have a chance and (Cal Fire) will take good care of me because I keep it pretty clean."

For the state as a whole, Cal Fire says conditions are not as dry this spring as they were in 2007 following a winter of less-than-normal precipitation.

Fire season in California doesn't officially begin until May 1 in the southern part of the state where earlier warmer weather patterns occur. Northern California's fire season will officially begin on May 15.

But Cal Fire Engineer Clint Brown said crews in the Auburn office are already seeing the first hint of fire season. "We're starting to see escaped control burns," he said. "We'd like to see people begin clearing 100 feet from their homes and if they're on a slope, they you want to double that."

Fire season ramps up Cal Fire staffing and equipment availability. With dry conditions already in parts of California, Assemblyman Joel Anderson, R-El Cajon, has called on the director of Cal Fire to release department air tankers for firefighting now.

"Holding off the deployment of important fire-fighting resources keyed to the arbitrary date of so-called 'fire season,' shows that little has been learned from the two recent devastating wildfires," Anderson wrote in a letter to the Cal Fire director earlier this month.

"Air tankers should be available year-round to protect lives and property," Anderson added.

Fire Prevention Tips from Cal Fire

Remove all flammable vegetation 30 feet from all structures.

In an additional 70 feet create a reduced fuel zone by spacing trees and plants from each other.

Clear all needles and leaves from roofs, eaves and rain gutters.

Trim branches six feet from the ground.

Remove branches 10 feet from all chimneys.

Use trimming, mowing and power equipment before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m., not in the heat of the day.

Landscape with fire-resistant plants.