Defensible space in Caughlin Ranch (89519)

Caughlin Ranch sits on Reno's southwest foothills at about 4,884 feet. The yards are mature and well planted, which is the appeal of the place and also the thing to manage.

At a glance

• Caughlin Fire (2011) mapped at 1,942 acres; Pinehaven Fire (2020) at 512 acres
• Median home in ZIP 89519 built in 1993
• Thinning and separating mature landscape plantings
• Certified arborist plans the work before any cutting

What happens to a planted yard after 30 years?

It closes up. Shrubs set 4 feet apart in the 1990s now touch. Evergreens planted as a screen reach the eaves. Trees that were staked saplings have crowns that meet over the roof. In fire terms that is continuous fuel from the property line to the wall.

The Living With Fire guide's phrase for the 5 to 30 foot zone is lean, clean and green: small, separated islands of healthy plants with nothing dead between them. Getting there in a mature yard takes selective removal and careful pruning. It does not mean stripping the lot.

What would an arborist change first?

An arborist would change what sits closest to the house first: junipers and dense evergreens within 5 feet, branches over the roof, dead wood in mature trees, connected shrub masses and low limbs over dry groundcover.

• Junipers and other dense evergreens within 5 feet of the house
• Branches touching or overhanging the roof
• Dead wood inside the canopy of mature trees
• Shrub masses that connect one tree to the next
• Low limbs over dry groundcover or bark

See junipers and other high-hazard plants next to the house and our Caughlin Ranch tree trimming page.

What is on the fire map here?

The National Interagency Fire Center maps the Caughlin Fire of 2011 at 1,942 acres and the Pinehaven Fire of 2020 at 512 acres, both in the southwest Reno foothills. The larger Belli Ranch Fire of 1996, at 6,724 acres, is centred about 4 miles from the middle of the ZIP. Thirty perimeter records of 300 acres or more fall within about 10 miles.

A ZIP code has no Forest Service record. The City of Reno's risk to homes ranks higher than 97.7% of US communities.

Does the association have a say?

Check before you remove anything. Planned communities commonly have landscape standards and an approval step for changes, and common areas and greenbelts are the association's to manage. We can write the estimate so it lists each plant or tree and the reason, which makes an application easier. Board members and managers can ask for a common-area estimate through our HOA and property manager page.

How dry is the hillside?

A gauge about 1.8 miles away (Reno 2.4 SSW) averages about 9.6 inches of precipitation a year in NOAA's 1991-2020 normals. The landscaping lives on irrigation. The native slope beyond the last sprinkler head does not, and it is cured and dry for much of the year.