With all the fires that the West has experienced, and continues to fight, this year, I thought our architectural firm in Lake Tahoe might be able to help you keep your backyard healthy and as prepared as possible for next year’s fire season.
Defensible Space. Why It’s Important to You and Your Home.
In June, we published an extensive blog about defensible space, and what you can do right now while the weather is still nice for outdoor yard work. For a complete list of the best tips for preparing your home with defensible space, be sure to click into that story about defensible space right here on our website.
Forest in Your Backyard? Keep It Healthy & Fire Safe.
For over 30 years, Borelli Architecture has been designing mountain homes in the Lake Tahoe Basin and Truckee region that are often wrapped within a forest environment. Inasmuch as we focus on designing the home to our clients’ needs and dreams, we always take the adjoining landscape and trees into mind within the design process.
Once the home is established, we encourage our clients to invest some time in their yards to ensure they remain healthy as that contributes to the home’s value as well as the overall health of the forest.
To get you started, we’re offering some tips on how to maintain a healthy forest.
Get To Know Your Trees. This is always a fun adventure to share with your kids and is also educational for you as well. We found a good source that identifies pines in particular, complete with photos that serve as an excellent ‘cheat sheet’ as you wander through your forested backyard, or on a hike this fall.
Learn about the Popular Insects and Diseases of the Tahoe Basin. You probably have heard about the Beetle infestation, yet what about Heart Rot, Dwarf Mistletoe and Western Gall Rust? All can have a significant impact on the health of your trees. As can man-made injuries from snowplows and other machinery and cars. What you may think is a diseased tree, could actually be an injured pine. This link will show you photos and complete descriptions of the diseases and insects of the Lake Tahoe Basin and surrounding High Sierra.
Give Your Trees Some Space. Depending on the size of the trees, you may have to secure a permit to remove a few trees that are overcrowding its neighbors. For a good guide as to what steps you need to take, click into this brochure “A Property Owner’s Guide to Tree Removal in the Lake Tahoe Basin.”
Landscape Appropriately. When our architectural firm in Tahoe embarks on the design of our clients’ homes, we are certainly involved in site planning, space planning, and TRPA feasibility studies, among many other services that are needed to build a home in Truckee and Lake Tahoe. And although we are not involved in the landscaping per se, we appreciate every opportunity to share our local insight as to which plants and shrubs are appropriate for our four-season environment. To help you out, here’s a link to a “Home Landscaping Guide for Lake Tahoe and the Vicinity.”
If you ever have any questions about how to keep your forested backyard healthy, or need additional tips or professional assistance with defensible space, just give Borelli Architecture a call at 775-831-3060. We have a variety of home building services and landscaping contacts to help you do the best job to keep your backyard fire-safe and forest healthy for years to come.
James P. Borelli
Founder/Principal
Borelli Architecture
Truckee / Lake Tahoe
jim@borelliarchitecture.com
775.831.3060