Lot clearing and brush mowing in Gardnerville Ranchos, NV

The Ranchos is the largest community in Douglas County's Carson Valley, with about 12,100 residents on about 10.3 square miles. The American Community Survey counts about 86% of its homes as detached houses, with a median build year of 1987.

At a glance

• About 5,000 homes on about 10.3 square miles
• 66.4% of buildings in the indirect (ember) exposure zone, 18.5% direct
• Minden station: about 9.3 inches of precipitation, 21.8 inches of snow a year
• About 25.6 miles from our Carson City yard

Where is there anything left to clear?

In three kinds of places. First, lots that were never built on and now sit between houses. Second, the outer rows, where a back fence faces open ground. Third, the rear of older lots, where nearly forty years of growth since the median 1987 build date has turned a corner of the yard into a thicket of shrubs and volunteer trees.

The first calls for a mower or a full lot clearing if a house is planned. The second is a mowed strip. The third is hand cutting, chipping and sometimes a tree removal, because a tracked loader may not fit through a side gate.

What does the Forest Service data say about the Ranchos?

It ranks wildfire risk to homes here higher than 93.1% of US communities. That is lower than most places we serve and still well into the top tenth nationally. The split by exposure type is 18.5% of buildings direct, 66.4% indirect and 15.0% minimal.

Two thirds indirect means embers and neighbor-to-neighbor spread are the main concern. One overgrown vacant lot in a row of houses matters to every house beside it.

Snow, then weeds

The Minden weather station, about 5 miles away, averages about 9.34 inches of precipitation and about 21.8 inches of snowfall a year, with an average winter low of about 20 degrees (NOAA 1991-2020 normals). The Ranchos is in USDA hardiness zone 6b, a half zone colder than Carson City.

Snowmelt brings up the spring weeds. They are usually mowed after they have grown and before they dry, late spring into early summer in most years. The heavier work, rooting out brush, removing trees and hauling debris, can be done in any season the ground allows.

Clearing a lot to build in Douglas County

For a home on one of the remaining lots, we remove the trees, stumps and brush and haul them. Grading, dust control and building permits are the owner's or the builder's to obtain, so ask Douglas County what your lot needs before the clearing date. Our guide to lot clearing before building in Lyon and Douglas counties sets out the order of work.

If the lot has mature trees, have the arborist look before the plans are final. A healthy tree in the right spot is worth designing around.

Fires mapped within 10 miles

The National Interagency Fire Center maps the Numbers Fire of 2020 at 18,380 acres, centred about 8.8 miles from the middle of the Ranchos, the Preacher Fire of 2017 at 5,386 acres, about 8.1 miles away, and the Autumn Hills Fire of 1996 at 3,805 acres, about 7.1 miles away. None is centred close in, which fits the ember-driven picture in the Forest Service figures.