19.1 Risk and Hazard Assessment

Strawberry is located in western White Pine County, south of Cold Creek along State Route 892 (see Figure 19-1). The community lies in Newark Valley with numerous ranches situated one or more miles apart.

19.1.1 Community Design

Strawberry is a rural ranch community composed of nine widely spaced residences interspersed with large tracts of agricultural or public lands. The rural ranch community type does not lend itself to the standard community assessment procedures. Defensible space, suppression resources, and fuel hazard conditions are described qualitatively for the community.

19.1.2 Construction Materials

All of the homes were constructed with non-flammable roofing materials such as composition, tile, or metal, and non-flammable or highly fire-resistant materials such as medium density fiberboard.

19.1.3 Defensible Space

All of the homes surveyed in Strawberry had landscaping that meets the minimum standard as defensible space. Agricultural fields surround most of the homes.

19.1.4 Suppression Capabilities

Wildfire Protection Resources

Strawberry has no local fire protection resources. The Bureau of Land Management Ely Field Office and the Nevada Division of Forestry suppression resources that are available for Strawberry is included in section 4.1.1. Eureka and Diamond Valley Volunteer Fire Departments in neighboring Eureka County will respond to a wildland fire near Strawberry at the request of the BLM.

19.1.5 Factors Affecting Fire Behavior

The terrain throughout the Newark Valley is generally flat, and winds are predominantly from the southwest. Wildland fuel loads located beyond the agricultural lands in Strawberry were estimated at two to three tons per acre. Vegetative fuels consist of big sagebrush, greasewood, and rabbitbrush, with an understory of basin wildrye, bottlebrush squirreltail, Indian ricegrass, Sandberg’s bluegrass, and cheatgrass. The sagebrush is generally one to two feet high, but in some instances reaches five feet. The fuel hazard was considered moderate on the lower slopes and valley bottoms with high hazard fuels located on the west side of the valley where slopes and vegetation density increase.

19.1.6 Fire Behavior Worst Case Scenario

During the summer, thunderstorms produce dry lightning, which is a typical cause of wildfire ignitions in White Pine County. In years of higher than normal precipitation, cheatgrass production increases, leaving a dense fine fuel understory that will feed a wildfire ignition into the shrub layer. A dry lightning ignition on the west or south side of Strawberry would be driven by west/southwest winds through the wildland fuels. Any ranch improvements such as fences, and equipment and stockpiled commodities near wildland fuels, are at risk of damage or loss. There is a low potential for structure loss because agricultural buffer zones surround most of the homes.

19.2 Risk and Hazard Reduction Recommendations

Despite the reduced risk of damage or loss to structural properties, residences in Strawberry exhibit unique conditions because of their remote location and distance from any fire suppression resources. Hay and alfalfa fields, stockpiled bales, livestock, ranching and farming equipment, and fuel tanks are assets that require special protection because of their considerable value to ranchers and farmers. Not only can stockpiled hay combust or ignite easily, but smoke can make the hay unpalatable and unusable for livestock feed.

19.2.1 Defensible Space Treatments

Defensible space treatments are an essential first line of defense for residential structures. Significantly reducing or removing vegetation within a prescribed distance from structures (30 feet to 200 feet depending upon slope and vegetative fuel type) reduces fire intensity and improves firefighter and homeowner chances for successfully defending a structure against an oncoming wildfire.

Property Owner Recommendations

• Remove, reduce, and replace vegetation around homes according to guidelines provided in Appendix E. This area should be kept:
  • Lean: There are only small amounts of flammable vegetation.
  • Clean: There is no accumulation of dead vegetation or other flammable debris.
  • Green: Existing plants are healthy and green during the fire season.
• Maintain defensible space annually.
• Immediately remove cleared vegetation to an approved disposal site. This material dries quickly and poses a fire risk if left on site. Refer to the Defensible Space fact sheet in Appendix E for clearance guidelines.
• Keep the area beneath unenclosed porches and decks free of accumulated vegetation or other flammable debris. Enclose these areas wherever possible.
• Store woodpiles at least thirty feet from any structure.
• Maintain a space clear of accumulated vegetation and combustible materials for at least ten feet around propane and fuel tanks.
• Cheatgrass or other annual grasses that have become dominant within the defensible space zone should be mowed or treated with an application of pre-emergent herbicide prior to seed set. Treatments may need to be repeated the following year to ensure that the seed bank of unwanted grasses has been depleted. Refer to Appendix E for approved seed mixes and planting guidelines that can be used in conjunction with removal of this annual grass.
• Remove brush growing within thirty feet of fences in the community.
• Install spark arrestors on chimneys.
• Create a fuelbreak of bare ground or gravel for 100 feet around stockpiled commodities.
• Plant a seed mixture of fire-resistant species around residential structures and ranch outbuildings.
• Purchase a backup power system for properties on individual wells in the case of loss of commercial power during a large wildland fire.
• Remove or board up any abandoned trailers or other structures to prevent flying embers from entering and igniting these structures.

19.2.2 Fuel Reduction Treatments

Fuel reduction treatments are applied on a larger scale than defensible space treatments. By permanently changing the fuel structure over large blocks of land to one of lower volume or reduced flammability (a fuel reduction treatment), the expected result in the event of a catastrophic wildfire would be one of reduced risk for uncontrolled spread through the treatment area. Reducing vegetation along roadways and driveways could reduce the likelihood of wildfire spreading across roads and improve firefighter access and safety for protecting homes.

Nevada Department of Transportation and White Pine County

• Reduce vegetation by mowing to a height of not more than four inches for a distance of 25 feet from the edge of pavement along both sides of state and county roads. Seed or treat the cleared areas as necessary to control cheatgrass.

Electric Utility Company

• Maintain utility right-of-ways by removing trees from beneath power lines and thinning shrubs a minimum of fifteen feet around power line transformers.

19.2.3 Fire Suppression Resources

Adequate training, equipment, and water drafting supplies are critical to all firefighters, whether they are first responders, volunteer fire department personnel, or agency personnel. These matters are also of special importance to all communities, especially those located in remote portions of the county. The following recommendations related to actions homeowners and the county can take to increase the quality of fire suppression response in the Strawberry community.

White Pine County and Nevada Division of Forestry

• Purchase and station a pick-up truck and a one-piece, slip-on, 100 to 200-gallon tank and pump unit with hose and hose reel in Strawberry during the fire season. This equipment, fitted properly for the size and weight limitations of the truck, can be used to provide initial attack of small ignitions.
• Identify agricultural wells that can be used for filling water tenders and engines, and pursue grant funding to develop water storage (at least one, 10,000 to 15,000-gallon tank) for fire protection. Agricultural wells require fire department threads for filling water tenders and engines.

Nevada Division of Forestry

• Identify a minimum of four people from Strawberry who would likely be able to provide the initial response to a nearby ignition. Coordinate with the Bureau of Land Management or the Nevada Division of Forestry to provide them with Basic Wildland Firefighter Training.

Nevada Division of Forestry and Bureau of Land Management

• Meet annually with Strawberry ranchers and local property owners to discuss wildland fire pre-attack plans.

Property Owners

• Cooperate with the NDF to organize a group of volunteer firefighters and then obtain wildland and structure firefighting training for initial attack of ignitions from the BLM and State Fire Marshal.

19.2.4 Community Coordination

Many of the most effective activities aimed at reducing the threat of wildfire for the Strawberry community require that individual property owners coordinate with each other and with local fire authorities. Defensible space, for example, is more effective in small communities when applied uniformly throughout the entire community. Public education and awareness, neighbors helping neighbors, and proactive individuals setting examples for others to follow are just a few of the approaches that will be necessary to meet the fire safe goals in the community.

Nevada Division of Forestry

• Residents should obtain copies of the current “Living With Fire” publication. This publication is available free of charge from the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.
• The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension should be requested to develop a “Living With Fire” type publication tailored to the concerns of rural Nevada ranchers. The publication should include solutions for power back up, foaming systems, fire resistant seeding, and ranch site layout suggestions.

Table 19-2. Strawberry Risk/Hazard Reduction Priority Recommendations

Involved Party	Recommended Treatment	Recommendation Description
Property Owners	Defensible Space Treatments	Remove, reduce, and replace vegetation around homes, stockpiled hay, and equipment storage areas according to the guidelines in Appendix E. Maintain defensible space as needed to keep the space lean, clean, and green.
	Fire Suppression Resources	Cooperate with the NDF to organize a group of volunteer firefighters and then obtain wildland and structure firefighting training. Develop water drafting sources or identify agricultural wells available for fire suppression use.
Nevada Division of Forestry	Community Coordination	Distribute copies of the current “Living With Fire” publication. Workwith UNCE to develop a “Living With Fire” publication for rural ranch communities. Meet annually with Strawberry ranchers and local property owners to discuss wildland fire pre-attack plans.
	Fire Suppression Resources	Identify and train a minimum of four people from Strawberry who would likely be able to provide the initial response to a nearby ignition.
Bureau of Land Management	Fire Suppression Resources	Meet annually with Strawberry ranchers and local property owners to discuss wildland fire pre-attack plans.
White Pine County	Fire Suppression Resources	Purchase and station a pick-up truck and a one-piece, slip-on, 100 to 200-gallon tank and pump unit with hose and hose reel. Develop water drafting sources (one 10,000 to 15,000-gallon tank) or identify agricultural wells available for fire suppression use.
Nevada Department of Transportation White Pine County	Fuel Reduction Treatment	Mow vegetation for a distance of 25-feet on each side of community roads and state routes.
Utility Company	Fuel Reduction Treatments	Remove trees and thin shrubs beneath power lines and utility poles. Maintain a minimum of fifteen feet of clearance around power line transformers.

Figure 19-1 Strawberry Fire History small | large | x-large