Gardnerville Ranchos tree and wildfire data sheet

The Ranchos is a large residential area in the Carson Valley, a bit higher than Gardnerville at 4,859 feet and in USDA hardiness zone 6b. This sheet compares it with Douglas County, Nevada and the United States, and adds the Forest Service ranking, the three nearest NOAA stations and the large fires mapped within about 10 miles of the town point.

Housing from the 1980s

The median home was built in 1987, and 28.3% of homes predate 1980; just 17.2% date from 2000 or later. That makes the Ranchos older than Gardnerville (median 2001) and younger than Carson City (1981). Owner-occupancy is 81.1%, and 85.6% of homes are single-family detached. Mobile homes are 1.6%, well below the county's 6.5%. The median home value is $486,000, below the county's $615,400.

Wood is the main heating fuel for 4.6% of households, in line with the county's 4.5% and more than four times Nevada's 1.0%. Bottled gas heats only 1.0%, against 8.1% for the county.

Where the exposure sits

The Forest Service ranks risk to homes above 93.1% of US communities and above 51.6% of Nevada communities. Of 5,216 counted buildings, 18.5% are directly exposed, 66.4% indirectly and 15.0% minimally. That is a mixed picture: more exposed than Gardnerville (5.1% direct) and less than the county as a whole (38.4%).

The list has 21 fire records within about 10 miles, and the recent ones matter: Numbers in 2020 (18,380 acres, 8.8 miles), Preacher in 2017 (5,386 acres), Cutter in 2017 (1,663 acres) and East Fork in 2021 (1,136 acres). Older ones include Indian in 1984 (17,771 acres, 5.7 miles) and Mud Lake in 2005 (580 acres, 4.6 miles), the closest center.

What it means in the yard

A neighborhood laid out in the 1980s has had decades of growth, so many trees are well established. Lot clearing and brush mowing, dead wooding and trimming come up, along with firewood for the stoves; call the office for availability and pricing. Our stacking and seasoning guide covers storage.

The yard is 25.6 miles away, about 36 minutes without traffic. That is a distance, not a promise of arrival.

What the weather rows allow

The Minden station is 5.0 miles away at 4,709 feet, 150 feet lower than the Ranchos, and reports 9.34 inches of precipitation, 21.8 inches of snow and 50.1 F. The other two stations are Dagget Pass (7,334 feet) and South Lake Tahoe airport in California (6,314 feet), both far too high to describe the Ranchos.

A zone 6b rating means the average coldest night of the year falls in the range of minus 5 to 0 F; it is a plant-hardiness measure, not a forecast.