Category: Defensible Space
Using Preemergence Herbicide to Control Cheatgrass on Your Property
Cheatgrass is probably the most ignitable plant in Nevada’s rangelands. It’s called a “winter annual” which means that it germinates in the fall and quickly grows until cold temperatures arrive. It lays dormant in the winter, then continues growing through early spring until it dies in the summer right as temperatures are heating up, thus […]
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Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District Offers Free Green Waste Collection Days
It’s official Fall, but there is still high potential for fire in the west during the month of October, according to the National Interagency Fire Center’s “Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook October 2020.” To create and maintain effective defensible space it’s crucial that you remove dead and dying vegetation in your landscape that could potentially […]
Read More ►Living With Fire & COVID-19: Outreach During a Pandemic
I’m Megan Kay, the outreach coordinator for the Living With Fire Program, which is part of University of Nevada, Reno Extension. Due to COVID-19, the University and our office have been closed, and we’ve been working from home since mid-March. In addition, as a result of a statewide stay-at-home order, all of our events for […]
Read More ►The Ins and Outs of Open Pile Burning
A pile of vegetation after a resident improved their defensible space. Photograph courtesy of University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. When maintaining or creating defensible space, property owners can end up with a large amount of leaves, weeds, branches and shrubs that need disposing of. As the mornings become brisk and the fall season approaches, some […]
Read More ►Lessons from Replacing My Junipers
Japanese Boxwood in my yard. Photograph Courtesy of University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. Before I started my position with the Living With Fire Program, my husband and I removed our flammable junipers as they were too close for comfort being fifteen feet from the house. Next we were faced with the task of replacing the […]
Read More ►Choosing the Right Landscaper
Photograph Courtesy of University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. As the weather warms up, I look forward to following those defensible space suggestions made by Nevada Division of Forestry’s Fire Protection Officer Chanse Hunwardsen . My neighbors (who also have received defensible space inspections) and I collaboratively decided to hire a landscaper to perform work on a […]
Read More ►WILDFIRE! Prepare. Anticipate. Evacuate.
So often we think of wildfires in terms of how many acres burned or which roads are closed. But for some, those caught in the middle, it’s more a matter of ensuring that their loved ones and pets are accounted for, what to take and what must be left behind. To help residents prepare for […]
Read More ►Replacing Mulch with Mulch
Partially composted mulch Since starting as the Outreach Coordinator with the Living With Fire Program, I have learned that landscape mulch located next to the house is undesirable. This is because, from a defensible space stand point, embers from a wildfire can ignite the mulch, and produce flames next to the house, possibly igniting it […]
Read More ►Video Blog: Learned lessons from defensible space inspection
Recently, I had a defensible space inspection performed on my property by Nevada Division of Forestry’s fire protection officer, Chanse Hunwardsen. Chanse noted some problem areas that I have previously addressed in former blogs, and he also addressed some issues that I had not considered. Watch this video to learn what issues were found and […]
Read More ►Defensible Space Inspection Q&A Video Blog
Defensible space inspections are performed around a home to note areas in need of mitigation in order to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Watch the video as outreach coordinator, Jamie Roice-Gomes interviews Nevada Division of Forestry’s fire protection officer, Chanse Hunwardsen about defensible space inspections. Stay tuned for next month’s blog as Jamie reviews […]
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