Defensible Space
TAHOE DONNER IS PROUD TO BE A FIREWISE COMMUNITY.
TO READ MORE ABOUT LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE CALDOR FIRE, CLICK HERE.
DID YOU KNOW INSURANCE COMPANIES OFFER DISCOUNTS TO PROPERTY OWNERS IN A FIREWISE COMMUNITY? CHECK OUT THIS LIST OF INSURANCE COMPANIES THAT OFFER FIREWISE DISCOUNTS.
2024 DEFENSIBLE SPACE INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR
Tahoe Donner Forestry hosted a special webinar on April 4, 2024 as part of the ongoing commitment to wildfire preparedness and community safety. This informative session discusses topics for residents within the 2024 defensible space inspection zone as well as information for all homeowners on the resources needed to safeguard their homes and communities against the threat of wildfires. Please view the recording below:
1. Introduction, Nathanael Christensen, Defensible Space Program Manager
2. Brief Fire History of Tahoe Donner, Bill Seline, Retired Truckee Fire Chief
3. Measure T and Other Resources Available Through Truckee Fire, Eric Horntvedt, Wildfire Prevention Manager at Truckee Fire
5. Report Access Demonstration
6. Q + A
US Forest Service records show that over the last 35 years, over 150 fires burned in or within a two-mile radius of Tahoe Donner. Defensible space is your property’s frontline of defense against wildfire. Creating and maintaining defensible space around your home can dramatically increase your home’s chance of surviving a wildfire and improve the safety of firefighters defending your property. CAL FIRE statistics show that properties in compliance with defensible space requirements are five times more likely to survive a wildfire. The Tahoe Donner Forestry Department is intent on helping homeowners bring their properties into compliance with state, local and association fire safety standards.
The above photos were taken from the same spot roughly one century apart in the Feather River Canyon, which is the area the Dixie Fire accelerated through in 2021 given the overly dense tree cover. Forests in the Tahoe area are similarly over crowded, posing a major wildfire hazard.
A fuel reduction zone is a zone created through the use of strategic vegetation thinning that mimics what would occur from a natural wildfire cycle (fuel reduction efforts clearly did not happen in the Feather River Canyon given the crowded forest stand in 1993). Fuel reduction zones are critical in helping prevent the rapid spread of wildfire, but they also contribute to ongoing forest restoration efforts that preserve important natural resources and biodiversity in the landscape, creating healthier and stronger forests that more closely resemble a “natural” state.
Similarly, creating defensible space to protect your property’s structure(s) means your home has a better chance of surviving a wildfire. To see defensible space in action, watch the following video on defensible space and structure protection during the 2021 Dixie Fire. For lessons learned from the Caldor Fire, click here.
Check out these insurance companies that give discounts for maintaining defensible space and being a part of a Firewise Community.
HOME HARDENING
In addition to defensible space, home hardening has been found to be effective in reducing ember ignitions on and around structures. Embers are small, flying, burning material that may be driven by wind up to a mile or more away from a wildfire. More that 80% of homes lost during wildfire events are due to ignition from embers. The State Board of Forestry and the Office of the State Fire Marshal have laid out new guidelines for home hardening that should be followed by homeowners. Forestry staff are available to provide recommendations based on these guidelines.
Watch the following video on defensible space from the National Fire Protection Association:
Watch the following video for more information on defensible space and home hardening:
Visit the CAL FIRE web page for defensible space information.
Defensible space and home hardening tie in with Tahoe Donner’s forest management practices to achieve community wildfire protection. The Forestry Department incorporates forest health and wildfire protection objectives in coordination with local and state agencies’ rules and restrictions.
For more information on what the Forestry Department is doing, click here.
INSPECTIONS
The Forestry Department assesses each property every six years for defensible space compliance. Areas subject to inspection in 2024 include properties located in Unit 4: Lots 1-233, Unit 6: Lots 412-640 and All of Unit 11: Lots 1-517. This includes all or portions of the following streets:
Skiview Loop, Tyrol Road, Glacier View Drive, Wolfgang Road, Parsenn Road, Pinnacle Loop, Alder Creek Road, Skislope Way, Springbrook Place, Chalet Road, Chateau Way, Chapelle Place, Swiss Lane, Sun Valley Road, Lucerne Lane, Cristallina Way, Edelweiss Place
Defensible space inspections will be conducted on these properties in the spring of 2024. Utilizing new software from FireAside, the Forestry Department will send resident inspection reports to property owners as soon as an inspection is completed. To view the current inspection cycle, click here. To view a full list of defensible space property requirements, click here.
If your property is not in this year’s defensible space cycle but you would like to learn how you could improve your defensible space, please email Tahoe Donner Forestry and request an out-of-cycle inspection.
Tahoe Donner Forestry Department | (530) 587-9432 | defensiblespace@tahoedonner.com
TAHONE DONNER’S CHIPPING PROGRAM IS NOW MANAGED BY THE TRUCKEE FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
Request Pickup
Truckee Fire Protection District will now manage curbside green waste pickup (formerly chipping) in Tahoe Donner through Measure T funding. The Tahoe Donner Forestry Department will no longer pick up piles eligible for chipping. Tahoe Donner residents must request green waste pick-up online via TruckeeFire.org/GreenWaste.
The Green Waste Pickup program will run from May 1st through October 31st.
Need a Contractor or Local Business?
Looking for help? Check out our business directory for local businesses, including defensible space services, that serve the Tahoe Donner community.