--- title: Defensible Space in Topaz Ranch Estates, NV url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/topaz-ranch-estates/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/) - [Topaz Ranch Estates](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/topaz-ranch-estates/) - Defensible space and fire mitigation # Defensible space and fire mitigation in Topaz Ranch Estates, NV Defensible space in Topaz Ranch Estates means clearing brush away from manufactured homes, woodpiles and propane tanks on dry, open lots, where the USDA Forest Service rates about 54% of buildings as directly exposed to wildfire. Battle Born Tree Service does that work on scheduled visits from Carson City, about 43 miles north. Topaz Ranch Estates sits above Topaz Lake at the south end of Douglas County, at about 5,200 feet. Its wildfire risk to homes ranks higher than 98% of US communities and 80% of Nevada's, and 18 large fire perimeters are on record around it. ## At a glance - About 54% of buildings direct exposure, 46% indirect, none minimal - About 60% of homes are manufactured homes - About 26% of households heat mainly with wood, 54% with bottled gas - TRE Fire (2012, 7,073 acres) centered about 3 miles away ## What is different about a manufactured home? About six in ten homes in Topaz Ranch Estates are manufactured homes (American Community Survey 2020 to 2024; about 1,600 residents, so approximate). The zones are the same as for any house, but the first 5 feet matter even more, because dry grass, weeds and blown-in debris collect against the skirting and under steps and decks. We cut and remove the vegetation at the base of the home and under and around attached decks, take out shrubs growing against the walls, and prune any tree limbs that hang over the roof. The skirting, vents and decking themselves are the owner's to maintain. We handle what grows. ## Woodpiles, propane and outbuildings About 26% of households here heat mainly with wood and about 54% with bottled gas, among the highest shares in our service area. That puts a wood stack or a tank on many lots. The Living With Fire guide lists woodpiles among the things that should not be within 5 feet of the house. Moving the stack is up to you. Once you have picked a spot, we can clear a ring of brush and grass around it, around the propane tank and around sheds and carports. Ask your propane supplier or fire agency about the clearance a tank needs. ## The driest gauge we cite The Topaz Lake weather station, half a mile from the center of the community, averages 5.92 inches of precipitation a year (NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals). Carson City's station averages 9.34. Native brush on that little water is sparse and slow, but it is dry for most of the year, and a wet spring brings a flush of grass that cures by early summer. The practical upshot: brush mowed or thinned here stays down for years. The close-in grass and weeds need cutting every season. ## Fires on record near Topaz Ranch Estates The National Interagency Fire Center has 18 perimeter records of 300 acres or more since 1980 with centers within about 10 miles. The two closest are centered about 3 miles away: the TRE Fire of 2012, mapped at 7,073 acres, and the Holbrook Fire of 1994 at 7,444 acres. Others include the Slinkard fires of 2002 (8,284 acres) and 2017 (9,096 acres), the Gates Complex of 2004 (8,905 acres) and the Numbers Fire of 2020 (18,380 acres). See the full list on our [large wildfires since 1980](https://battleborntreeservice.com/data/large-wildfires-since-1980/) page. ## A scheduled trip, done in one go Topaz Ranch Estates is about 43 miles and about 63 minutes from our yard without traffic, down US 395. At that distance we make no arrival promises. Defensible space is planned work, so the distance is less of a problem: the arborist looks at the lot, you get a free estimate, and the crew does the whole list in one visit. For acreage beyond the 100-foot zone, see [lot clearing and brush mowing in Topaz Ranch Estates](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/topaz-ranch-estates/lot-clearing-brush-mowing/). ### Sources - [USDA Forest Service, Wildfire Risk to Communities](https://wildfirerisk.org/download/) (April 2026 data) - [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) - [U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, Topaz Ranch Estates CDP](https://data.census.gov/) (retrieved October 1, 2026) - [NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, Topaz Lake station](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/us-climate-normals) (retrieved October 1, 2026) - [National Interagency Fire Center, fire perimeter history (TRE 2012, Holbrook 1994, Slinkard 2002 and 2017, Gates Complex 2004, Numbers 2020)](https://data-nifc.opendata.arcgis.com/) (retrieved October 1, 2026) - **Drive from our yard:** about 63 min 42.6 miles - **Elevation:** 5,186 ft USGS - **USDA hardiness zone:** 6b 2023 map - **Homes built before 1980:** 34% median year built 1987 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. ### Start here - [About the service: Defensible space and fire mitigation](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/defensible-space-fire-mitigation/) - [Tree service in Topaz Ranch Estates](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/topaz-ranch-estates/) - [Fire district: East Fork Fire Protection District](https://battleborntreeservice.com/fire-districts/east-fork-fpd/) ### 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 - [Topaz Ranch Estates](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/topaz-ranch-estates/) - [Lot clearing and brush mowing in Topaz Ranch Estates](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/topaz-ranch-estates/lot-clearing-brush-mowing/) - [Who heats with wood in Northern Nevada](https://battleborntreeservice.com/data/wood-heat-households/) - [Large wildfires near Carson City, Reno and Lake Tahoe since 1980](https://battleborntreeservice.com/data/large-wildfires-since-1980/) - [What is defensible space? Zones 0, 1 and 2](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/what-is-defensible-space/) - [Defensible space and fire mitigation](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/defensible-space-fire-mitigation/) ## 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 Topaz Ranch Estates [Tree removal](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/topaz-ranch-estates/tree-removal/) [Tree trimming and pruning](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/topaz-ranch-estates/tree-trimming/) [Stump grinding](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/topaz-ranch-estates/stump-grinding/) [Lot clearing and brush mowing](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/topaz-ranch-estates/lot-clearing-brush-mowing/) [Certified arborist](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/topaz-ranch-estates/arborist/) [Firewood](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/topaz-ranch-estates/firewood/) ## Defensible space and fire mitigation in nearby towns [Genoa](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/genoa/defensible-space/) [Johnson Lane](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/johnson-lane/defensible-space/) [Indian Hills](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/indian-hills/defensible-space/) [Ruhenstroth](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/ruhenstroth/defensible-space/) [Fish Springs](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/fish-springs/defensible-space/) ## Defensible space and fire mitigation questions in Topaz Ranch Estates Still have a question? Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243). Phones are answered seven days a week. ### Do you clear brush around manufactured homes in Topaz Ranch Estates? Yes. We remove vegetation and debris at the base of the home, around decks and steps and out through the three zones. Repairs to skirting or the home itself are not our work. ### Where should my woodpile go? The Living With Fire guide says not within 5 feet of the house. Farther is better, with the ground around it cleared of grass and brush. ### Is there a permit for removing trees or brush here? Our research found no Douglas County permit rule for trees on private property outside the Tahoe Basin. If your lot has recorded restrictions, check them. ### Can you come out the same week? We do not promise dates. Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243), the phone is answered seven days a week, and the office will tell you when the arborist can look at the property.