Lot clearing and brush mowing in Washoe Valley, NV

Washoe Valley lies between Carson City and Reno at about 5,100 feet. About 53% of its homes were built before 1980 and about 93% are owner-occupied (American Community Survey; about 3,300 residents, so approximate).

At a glance

• 93.7% of buildings in the direct exposure zone
• Davis Fire (2024, 5,824 acres) mapped about 3.6 miles away
• About 53% of homes built before 1980
• About 15 miles from our yard, the nearest Washoe County community

Why does the whole parcel count here?

Because of how the Forest Service reads the valley. Of about 2,270 buildings, it rates 93.7% as directly exposed, meaning wildland vegetation is close enough to carry flame to them, and the other 6.3% as indirectly exposed. Compare Reno at 5%.

On a directly exposed property, a tidy area near the house is not the whole answer. The ground beyond the yard, out to 100 feet and past it on larger parcels, is where a fire gains or loses strength. That outer ground is what the mower and the masticator are for.

What does acreage work look like?

Acreage work includes mowing the unused part of a parcel, clearing strips along fences and driveways, masticating brush under older trees, and removing dead trees and hauling the logs.

• Mowing the unused portion of a parcel to a low stubble
• Cutting a clear strip along fence lines, so a grass fire does not take the fence and carry along it
• Opening the sides of a long driveway
• Masticating brush and small trees that have filled in under and between older trees
• Removing dead trees and hauling the logs

Where a parcel has pasture or irrigated ground, that is left alone. The target is the dry, unmanaged growth around it. See brush mowing and masticating for how each machine works.

Older parcels, older trees

With a median build year of 1979, many Washoe Valley properties have full-grown trees, and some of those have died or shed large limbs. Dead wood on the ground and standing dead trees are fuel. A clearing job here often pairs the mowing with tree removal and dead wooding of the trees worth keeping.

The arborist makes that call tree by tree on the site walk. Sound trees stay.

Wind, and when to run a machine

The valley is known for strong downslope wind. Wind matters twice for this work. It drives fire, which is the reason to clear. And on a hot, dry, windy afternoon a machine working in cured grass can start one. Summer mowing is scheduled around the conditions and any restrictions in force, and woody brush can be cut in the cooler months when that risk is low.

Our guide to Washoe Zephyr and downslope winds covers what wind does to the trees themselves.

Recent fires close by

The National Interagency Fire Center maps the Davis Fire of 2024 at 5,824 acres, centred about 3.6 miles from the middle of the community. The Washoe Drive Fire of 2011 is mapped at 3,178 acres, about 3.3 miles away, and the Andrew Fire of 2004 at 2,693 acres, about 4.4 miles away. The Forest Service ranks wildfire risk to homes in Washoe Valley higher than 97.2% of US communities.