Defensible space and fire mitigation in Carson City, NV

Carson City is where we are based, and the hills around it have burned more than once since 1980. The work that counts is on the edges of town, where yards meet sagebrush and pine, and in the first 5 feet around every house.

At a glance

• Risk to homes higher than 98.5% of US communities (USDA Forest Service)
• About two in three buildings sit in the indirect exposure zone, where embers are the threat
• 2004 Waterfall Fire mapped at 8,765 acres on the west side
• Bobcat T870 with brush mower and masticating head kept in town

Why do embers matter more than flames for most Carson City homes?

The Forest Service sorts every building into an exposure type. Direct exposure means the building stands next to wildland vegetation that can carry flame to it. Indirect exposure means the building can be lit by embers or by a burning house nearby. In Carson City 10.3% of buildings are in the direct zone and 65.9% are in the indirect zone.

So about two buildings in three are in the indirect zone, where embers and burning neighbors are the threat. Embers need something to land in: a juniper against the siding, dead leaves under a deck, a branch lying on the roof. That is why the plan starts at the wall and works outward. Our guide to junipers and other high-hazard plants shows what to look at first.

What has burned near town?

National Interagency Fire Center records show 17 fire perimeters of 300 acres or more mapped within about 10 miles of the centre of Carson City since 1980. The largest is the Waterfall Fire of 2004 at 8,765 acres, centred about 2.6 miles to the west. The C-Hill and Kings Canyon fires of 1988 are each mapped at about 1,800 acres, and the Linehan Fire of 2006 at 5,863 acres on the east side.

The full list is on our large wildfires since 1980 page.

What does the crew do on a Carson City lot?

The crew works outward from the house: it clears the first 5 feet, removes dead trees and dead wood out to 30 feet, limbs up and thins out to 100 feet, then chips and hauls everything it cut.

• 0 to 5 feet: take out junipers, sage and dead plants, clear needles and leaves, prune limbs off the roof.
• 5 to 30 feet: remove dead trees and dead wood, break shrubs into separate islands.
• 30 to 100 feet: limb up trees, thin crowded stems, mow or masticate brush.
• Then: chip and haul everything that was cut.

One Google reviewer (the review does not give a location) wrote: "The team spent three days at our house getting our trees ready for fire season." (Alane M., Google review)

Is a big machine needed, or a hand crew?

It depends on the ground. A fenced yard on a town street is hand work with saws and a chipper. An acre of sagebrush behind a house on the east or north side of town is a job for the Bobcat T870 with the brush mower or the masticating head, covered on our Carson City lot clearing and brush mowing page. Because the yard is in town, the machines do not have far to travel. One of our two certified arborists looks at the property first and writes the plan with you.

When should the work be done?

The Carson City weather station averages about 9.3 inches of precipitation a year (NOAA 1991-2020 normals). Grass and brush dry out early in a climate that dry, and wildfires can also occur in fall and winter, when plants are dormant and dry. Dead material can come out at any time of year. The defensible space checklist for Carson City's west side is a good way to walk your own lot before you call.