Yosemite West Property & Homeowners, Inc.

What Residents Can Do To Make Yosemite West a Fire Safe Community

100 Feet of Defensible Space is the Law

Download these important Cal Fire guidelines:

• Why 100 Feet? flyer
• Why 100 Feet? brochure
• Homeowners Checklist: How to Make Your Home Fire Safe
• Debris Burning safety flyer

Property Inspections

As of 2006, California state law requires property owners to create 100 feet of defensible space from structures. Read the new 2006 guidelines Defensible Space: Compliance with 100-foot Requirements to evaluate what you need to do on your property in advance of the annual inspection.

The CAL FIRE fire prevention officers conduct an Annual Fire Hazard Clearance Inspection in Yosemite West. The purpose of the inspection is to assess property owners’ compliance with clearance of flammable vegetation from structures and LPG tanks, existence of spark arresters, condition of electrical wiring and lights, storage of combustible materials and other risks.

The fire prevention team completes a written checklist for residents noting any conditions that require the property owners’ attention. At the Memorial Day 2005 community picnic, a fire prevention officer announced to Yosemite West residents that they would be issuing citations, and that anyone cited would have to go to Fresno and appear in front of the magistrate there. Please direct all inquiries about compliance to Dan Tune, tel (559) 877-2218, email: dtune@fs.fed.us.

The Annual Fire Hazard Clearance Deadline is posted on the USFS signboard on Henness Ridge Road along the entrance to Yosemite West (between Wawona Road and the mailboxes). The annual deadline is around July 4th.

Steps You Can Take

Property Maintenance

Reduce Hazardous Fuels on Your Property

• Brush the forest floor
• remove surface fuels (e.g., leaves, pine needles, pine cones, fallen branches, dead/downed wood) from the ground every year creating a 100-foot (or to the property line, whichever is less) perimeter around all structures on your property..
• increase space between shrubs
• selectively cut manzanita, which is highly flammable, by cutting one third of the manzanita on your property down to the ground each year - cut one third the first year, the next third the following year, etc. It will regenerate, yet it decreases fire danger by reducing the height and density of manzanita.
• Thin the forest
  • remove all dead trees
  • increase space between large trees
  • limb trees at least 15 feet above the ground
  • reduce ladder fuels by cutting down all trees that are 6 inches or less in diameter at breast height (DBH).
    
    When you have the option, remove the more flammable incense cedar (Calocedrus (Libocedrus) decurrens) and white fir (Abies concolor) in favor of keeping Western white pine (Pinus monticola); refer to the table eblow. If you want to hire someone to assist with any tree removal, refer to a list of businesses.
  
  
  

  Common Name	Needles	Cones	Action
  incense cedar	leaves in whorls of 4	1 inch long; hang down	cut less than 6 inch diameter at breast height
  white fir	2 inches long; curved upward in "U"	4 inches long; upright	cut less than 6 inch diameter at breast height
  Western white pine	4 inches long; bundles of 5	9 inches long; hang down	do not cut when choice exists
  manzanita	n/a	n/a	cut one third down to the ground each year

  
  
  
• Remove leaves and pine needles from roof, eaves and gutters.
• Prune tree limbs at least 10 feet away from chimneys and remove dead tree limbs overhanging structures.
• Remove flammable materials and vegetation from underneath decks.
• Stack firewood at least 30 feet away from structures and any combustible material (some insurance companies now require 50 feet). Cover firewood stacks with a fire-resistant tarp.

Tree Health

Inspect the mature trees on your property for disease, and respond accordingly when disease is present.

• Learn how to recognize pine pitch canker by visiting the Pine Pitch Canker Task Force website
• Know how to identify bark beetles, pitch moths and pitch tubes
• Read about the Douglas Fir Tussock Moth Irruption (Page 1 of 2, Page 2 of 2) and its negative effect on fir trees, especially white fir.
• Be aware of possible allergic reactions called Tussockosis and report defoliation and dead caterpillars to YNP's Brian Mattos (email: brian_s_mattos@nps.gov).

Landscaping

• Plant fire-resistant species when landscaping. Download a list detailing recommended trees, shrubs, woody plants and forbs.

Dwelling Maintenance

• Place a spark arresting half-inch mesh screen over chimney outlet or flue.



• Enclose the sides of elevated decks with fire resistive material.



• Post the street address clearly so emergency services personnel can easily find your home. Review the guidelines for residence signs.



• Consider purchasing a fire blocking gel for your home, such as Thermo Gel or Barricade.

Educuate Yourself

• Request a complimentary Fire Education Packet from Yosemite West Property & Homeowners, Inc. by sending an email to firesafety@yosemitewest.org. The packet contains these materials:

  From Firewise:
  • Is Your Home Protected from Wildfire Disaster? A Homeowner's Guide to Wildfire Retrofit
  • Firewise Construction Checklist
  • Firewise Around Your Home
  • Firewise Communities/USA
  • Your Home Doesn't Have to Burn
  
  
  From the Fire Safe Council:
  • A Homeowner's Guide to Fire Safe Landscaping
  
  
  Videos Available to Borrow (at no rental charge):
  Please email firesafety@yosemitewest.org to check out a video:
  • Protecting Your Home from Wildfire (25 minutes) by Rocky Mountain Research Station, U.S. Forest Service
  • Wildfire! Preventing Home Ignitions (19 minutes) by Firewise Communities with researcher Jack Cohen at the Fire Sciences Laboratory of U.S. Forest Service

• Read Firescaping (Wilderness Press, 1st edition May 2005) by Douglas Kent, a 149-page book that explains "creating fire-resistant landscapes, gardens, and properties in California's diverse environments". This highly recommended book sells for $18.95, but has been made available to Yosemite West Property & Homeowners, Inc. at a 50% discount by the Mariposa County Fire Safe Council. To purchase the book, mail a check made payable to YWPHI in the amount of $13.45 ($9.50 for the book plus $3.95 shipping/handling) to 7585 Henness Ridge Road, Yosemite, CA 95389-9108. If you are in Yosemite West and would like to pick up the book, please email firesafety@yosemitewest.org.

• CAL FIRE publishes an extensive list of precautions that homeowners can take.

• Home and Fire magazine is a quarterly magazine with the objective of making property owners more wildfire aware and better prepared with home fire safety procedures, fire safety design protection, industries forest fires fighting equipment, frequently asked questions, information about home fire safety insurance, fire sprinkler for homes and fire safety procedures. Visit the Home and Fire website to subscribe to the magazine or read excerpts from recent issues.

• Please inform yourself and your guests about the risks that fire pose to the community and offer them guidelines for fire safety during their stay.

Learn About Hazard Fuel Reduction

NPS recommends that property owners visit the Firewise Landscaping website for tips about what you can do to minimize surface and ladder fuels on your property.

Pile Burning

Mariposa County Burn Day Information Line

Call (888) 440-BURN [(888) 440-2876] or (209) 966-1200 for recorded information that answers the following questions. Information is updated daily.

• Is a burning permit required at this time?
• What are the incinerator burning hours?
• Is today is a permissive burn day?

Download the Debris Burning safety flyer from Cal Fire.

For additional information, read:

• Preparing for Backyard / Pile Burning
• Why Do We Have No Burn Days?

California Inter-Agency Burning Permit

A free burning permit is required at all times to burn anything on your property. Call CDF at (209) 966-3622 for the location of the nearest office to get your permit. The nearest CDF fire station is on Hwy. 49 between Oakhurst and Mariposa.

The CAL FIRE provides useful tips for burning debris piles and for burning trash in a safe incinerator.

Volunteer Opportunities

Please email the Chair of the YWPHI Fire Safety Committee to express your interest in volunteering to help build a Fire Safe community. There is an on-going need for volunteers for the YWPHI Fire Safety Committee.

We are also looking for volunteers who would be willing to train and become part of a future Yosemite West Volunteer Fire Department. Previous efforts by YWPHI to establish a volunteer fire department were abandoned in 2001 due to lack of volunteers. Read more about what is required to develop a volunteer fire department for our community.

Site Map Copyright text © Yosemite West Property & Homeowners, Inc. 2003-2017. Copyright photographs © John Mock 2004-2017. All rights reserved. Unauthorized redistribution of this document is prohibited. Updated December 28, 2016.