Defensible space and fire mitigation in Cold Springs, NV

Cold Springs is a newer community at the north end of the North Valleys, at about 5,060 feet. Its median home was built in 2004, and the Forest Service ranks its risk to homes higher than 98.4% of US communities and 85% of Nevada communities.

At a glance

• 36 fire perimeter records of 300+ acres within about 10 miles since 1980
• Risk to homes higher than 98.4% of US communities
• About 88% of buildings indirectly exposed, about 12% directly
• About 50 miles from our yard: one planned visit for all the work

What is on the fire map around Cold Springs?

The table lists five large fires mapped between 1984 and 2020, with centres from about 6.0 to 9.8 miles from Cold Springs.

Distances are to the centre of each mapped perimeter. The list shows the larger records; the full set is on our large wildfires since 1980 page.

New houses, ember exposure

Only about 7% of homes here predate 1980, so large old trees are rare. The Forest Service puts 87.7% of buildings in the indirect exposure zone and 12.3% in the direct zone, with none rated minimal. For most addresses that points to the first 30 feet: nothing flammable against the walls, shrubs separated, dead material gone.

About 6% of households heat mainly with wood (American Community Survey). If you are one of them, the Living With Fire guide's advice is to keep the woodpile out of the 5 feet next to the house.

Why plan it as a single visit?

Distance. Cold Springs is one of the farthest communities we serve north of Reno, about 50 miles from the yard. It makes sense to put everything on one estimate: the shrubs by the house, the tree limbs over the roof, the weeds on the fence line and any brush mowing on open ground. Neighbors who want work done in the same period can say so when they call. That is a suggestion for getting more out of a trip. It is no promise of a date.

What would the crew bring?

The crew brings a chipper and chip truck, a Bobcat T870 with a mower or masticating head where there is open ground, a dump truck, and a certified arborist's written plan.

• Chipper and chip truck for shrubs, limbs and small trees
• Bobcat T870 with brush mower or masticating head where there is open ground
• Dump truck for material that cannot be chipped
• A certified arborist's written plan, agreed with you beforehand

For acreage, see lot clearing and brush mowing in Cold Springs.

Local weather

The nearest long-term station is Stead, about 6.2 miles away at a similar elevation. It averages 10.97 inches of precipitation and 16.7 inches of snow a year (NOAA 1991-2020 normals). Spring growth follows the snow and dries by midsummer.