Could your home survive wildfire?

Gov. Guinn proclaimed May 20-26 as Nevada's first Wildland Fire Awareness Week. The week began with the airing of a new half-hour television special "Living with Wildfire - Before, During and After the Fire," on KOLO News Channel 8. In case you missed it, you may need information on how to make your home more fire safe, especially in the face of the extremely dense cheatgrass infestations in many areas.

Although the cheatgrass did not grow as tall as many natural resource and fire people expected, stands are still very thick. The grass went to seed very quickly, and in many areas is already dried out, or "cured." Cheatgrass at this dry stage is highly flammable and acts like kerosene when ignited. Because cheatgrass spreads so rampantly, most everyone has some of it in their yard. Go look for a grass with a nodding seed head that's turning purple or yellow. It's very finely textured, and in many cases is only about 6-9 inches tall.

Those living at the wildlandÐurban interface are at high risk if they do not immediately remove cheatgrass and other fuels around the home. The wildlandÐurban interface is where residences mix with wildland fuels, such as sagebrush, rabbitbrush, bitterbrush, manzanita, Jeffrey pine, piñon and juniper. Each of these vegetation types can burn very quickly, especially if started from a cheatgrass ignition.

Many people living in this interface add additional fuels by planting junipers, ornamental grasses, mugho pine, spruce, arborvitae and other flammable ornamental plants.

Wildfire season is here and expected to be fierce this year. Will your home survive? Have you created defensible, survivable space around it? If not, why not?

If you do not know if your home is at risk, call University of Nevada Cooperative Extension for a free defensible-space checklist to help guide you. In Carson City, we can come out, do a free home inspection, and help you decide on ways to make your home less fire-prone. Carson City Fire Department has free Dumpsters and trailers to borrow to remove flammable vegetation from your property. Call 887-2210, ext. 1001 to reserve one.

Have you joined your local chapter of the Nevada Fire Safe Council? Call University of Nevada Cooperative Extension at 887-2252 to find out more.

Think about the question, "Will your home survive?" Take responsibility for improving your home's survival odds by reducing flammable vegetation today. Call us for helpful information or go to www.livingwithfire.info.

For more information, e-mail skellyj@unce.unr.edu or call me at 887-2252. You can "Ask a Master Gardener" by e-mailing mastergardeners@unce.unr.edu or call your local University of Nevada Cooperative Extension office. Check out many useful horticulture publications at www.unce.unr.edu.

• JoAnne Skelly is the Carson City/Storey County Extension educator for University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.