--- title: Defensible Space in Caughlin Ranch (89519) | Battle Born url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/caughlin-ranch/defensible-space/ business: Battle Born Tree Service address: 6301 US Highway 50 East, Carson City, NV 89701 phone: 775.232.8243 hours: Office Monday-Friday 8:30 am-5:00 pm; phones answered seven days a week; 24-hour emergency service credentials: ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A on staff; Nevada Business License # 20131580674; fully insured type: Tree service (removal, crane work, pruning, stump grinding, defensible space, snow removal, firewood) --- - [Home](https://battleborntreeservice.com/) - [Service areas](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/) - [Caughlin Ranch](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/caughlin-ranch/) - Defensible space and fire mitigation # Defensible space in Caughlin Ranch (89519) Defensible space in Caughlin Ranch means opening up landscaping that has had about 30 years to grow together, since the median home in ZIP 89519 dates from 1993. Two mapped fires carry local names, Caughlin in 2011 and Pinehaven in 2020, and Battle Born Tree Service does the pruning, thinning and removal with certified arborists on staff. 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](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/junipers-high-hazard-plants/) and our [Caughlin Ranch tree trimming](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/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](https://battleborntreeservice.com/who-we-serve/hoas-and-property-managers/) 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. ### Sources - [National Interagency Fire Center, fire perimeter history (Caughlin 2011, Pinehaven 2020, Belli Ranch 1996)](https://data-nifc.opendata.arcgis.com/) (retrieved October 1, 2026) - [U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 89519](https://data.census.gov/) (retrieved October 1, 2026) - [University of Nevada, Reno Extension: Living With Fire defensible space guide (SP-23-07)](https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=5522) (read October 1, 2026) - [NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, Reno 2.4 SSW gauge](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/us-climate-normals) (retrieved October 1, 2026) - **Drive from our yard:** about 44 min 33.5 miles - **Elevation:** 4,884 ft USGS - **USDA hardiness zone:** 7b 2023 map - **Homes built before 1980:** 22% median year built 1993 Sources: drive time from our yard at 6301 US Highway 50 East, free-flow, OSRM / Census Geocoder; elevation, USGS 3DEP; hardiness zone, USDA 2023 map; housing figures, U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 five-year estimates; wildfire risk, USDA Forest Service Wildfire Risk to Communities (April 2026 data). Retrieved October 1, 2026. ### Rules here City of Reno: no permit for pruning or removal on private property. A Tree Work Permit and a Certified Arborist are required in City right-of-way. Association landscape rules apply on top of City rules. The association decides. ### Start here - [About the service: Defensible space and fire mitigation](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/defensible-space-fire-mitigation/) - [Tree service in Caughlin Ranch](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/caughlin-ranch/) ### Talk to the office [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243) | Monday to Friday | 8:30 am - 5:00 pm | |---|---| | Saturday and Sunday | Office closed, phones answered | Phones answered seven days a week. 24-hour emergency service. [Free estimate](#quote) ### Related - [Caughlin Ranch (89519)](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/caughlin-ranch/) - [Junipers and other high-hazard plants next to the house](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/junipers-high-hazard-plants/) - [HOA tree rules: what to check first](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/hoa-tree-rules/) - [Defensible space and fire mitigation](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/defensible-space-fire-mitigation/) - [Home insurance and defensible space: what carriers ask for](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/insurance-and-defensible-space/) - [Defensible space and fire mitigation in Reno](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/defensible-space/) ## The three defensible space zones - Zone 0: 0 to 5 feet. Ember-resistant zone. Nothing that burns against the house: clear dead leaves and needles, move firewood away, cut back branches that touch walls or hang over the roof. - Zone 1: 5 to 30 feet. Lean, clean and green. Remove dead plants and ladder fuels, limb up trees, and break up continuous shrubs such as junipers. - Zone 2: 30 to 100 feet. Reduced fuel. Thin crowded trees and brush so fire stays on the ground and slows down. This is where the brush mower and masticator work. Zones from the University of Nevada, Reno Extension Living With Fire guide (2023). Your fire protection district may set its own rules. ## Other services in Caughlin Ranch [Tree removal](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/caughlin-ranch/tree-removal/) [Tree trimming and pruning](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/caughlin-ranch/tree-trimming/) [Stump grinding](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/caughlin-ranch/stump-grinding/) [Emergency tree service](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/caughlin-ranch/emergency-tree-service/) [Certified arborist](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/caughlin-ranch/arborist/) [Snow removal](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/caughlin-ranch/snow-removal/) ## Defensible space and fire mitigation in nearby towns [Reno](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/defensible-space/) [South Reno](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/south-reno/defensible-space/) [Galena and Mt. Rose Highway](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/galena-mt-rose/defensible-space/) [Northwest Reno and Somersett](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/northwest-reno/defensible-space/) [the North Valleys and Stead](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/north-valleys/defensible-space/) [Spanish Springs](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/spanish-springs/defensible-space/) [Sun Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/sun-valley/defensible-space/) [Lemmon Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/lemmon-valley/defensible-space/) [Golden Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/golden-valley/defensible-space/) [Cold Springs](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/cold-springs/defensible-space/) [Verdi](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/verdi/defensible-space/) [Washoe Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/washoe-valley/defensible-space/) [Palomino Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/palomino-valley/defensible-space/) ## Defensible space and fire mitigation questions in Caughlin Ranch Still have a question? Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243). Phones are answered seven days a week. ### Can defensible space in Caughlin Ranch still look good? Yes. The aim is separated, healthy plants, with the densest and most flammable ones moved away from the house. The arborist plans it with you. ### Do you handle association approval? No, the owner applies. We provide a detailed estimate that describes the work so you can attach it. ### Is Caughlin Ranch rated separately for wildfire risk? No. We use the City of Reno figure from the Forest Service: higher than 97.7% of US communities. ### How far away is your crew based? About 33.5 miles, about 44 minutes without traffic, at 6301 US Highway 50 East in Carson City.