Lot clearing and brush mowing in Yerington, NV

Yerington is the Lyon County seat, in Mason Valley on the Walker River. It is an old town by Nevada standards: about 60% of its homes were built before 1980 and about 31% before 1960. Long-settled lots collect long-established thickets.

At a glance

• About 60% of Yerington homes built before 1980
• Volunteer trees, brush and weeds removed together
• No large fire perimeter mapped within about 10 miles
• One planned trip, about 59 miles from our yard

What does an overgrown Yerington lot usually need?

More saw work than mowing. On a lot that has gone untended, the problem is rarely sagebrush. It is self-seeded trees along the fence, suckers around old stumps, and brush and weeds filling the space under them. Fast-growing volunteers such as Siberian elm are a common culprit on old lots across Northern Nevada.

The crew cuts the unwanted trees and brush, chips it and hauls it. The brush mower then takes down the weeds and light growth on the open part of the lot. Stumps can be ground so the row does not sprout back.

Is wildfire a reason to clear in Yerington?

Less than in most places we work, and it is fair to say so. The USDA Forest Service ranks wildfire risk to homes in Yerington higher than 62.2% of US communities, well below the foothill towns, and puts about 80% of buildings in its minimal exposure zone. No fire perimeter of 300 acres or more since 1980 has a mapped center within about 10 miles.

About 9% of buildings are in the direct exposure zone. If yours is on the edge of town facing open ground, a mowed band on that side is still sensible.

Good reasons to clear that have nothing to do with fire

• Getting a property ready to sell or rent
• Opening a lot for a house, a shop or a manufactured home
• Taking trees off a fence, a shed roof or an alley
• Clearing along a ditch so it can be reached and maintained
• Cleaning up an estate or a long-vacant parcel

Along an irrigation ditch or the river, ask the ditch company or the agency in charge what may be cut before you call us. They decide.

A very dry valley floor

The Yerington weather station averages 4.58 inches of precipitation a year (NOAA 1991-2020 normals), among the lowest figures in our service area. Vegetation follows the water. Where a lot gets irrigation, seepage from a ditch or runoff from a roof, growth is thick; a few yards away the ground can be nearly bare. That is why overgrowth here tends to run in lines and corners.

Planning around the distance

Yerington is about 59 miles from our yard. We group everything into one visit: clearing, any tree removal, stump work and hauling. Photos and a short list sent to the office ahead of the free estimate make that planning easier.