2016 Defensible Space Yard Clean up Programs

Start creating defensible space by utilizing the following free programs: 

South Tahoe Refuse Curbside Yard Waste Pick up:

Nevada residential customers can place one bag of yard waste at curb side for each can of weekly “per can” service, i.e., 1-can service equals 1 bag of yard waste; 2-can service equals 2 bags of yard waste at no extra charge.

Bags exceeding the “per can” service will be charged as extra or left until the next week.  The yard waste recycling program is not available to Nevada on-call customers. -Tahoe Living-Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Also, on the week of May 23, 2016 only: STR will pick up six - 32 gallon bags of yard waste for Nevada customers on their regular scheduled pick up day.

Compost Your Combustibles:

The popular "Compost Your Combustibles" program will re-open Memorial Day Weekend through July 4th, 2016. Homeowners can dump yard waste materials such as pine cones and pine needles for free at the Heavenly Boulder Lodge parking lot. This program is made possible by the cooperative efforts between the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, South Tahoe Refuse, Heavenly Mountain Resort, Kingsbury General Improvement District and the Tahoe Village Homeowners Association. See details below:

• WHERE: Heavenly Boulder Lodge parking lot
• WHEN: Gates will be open from Satuarday May 28th through Monday July 4th between the hours of 8:00 am-5:00 pm 7 days a week.
• WHAT: Allowable materials for dumping are pine needles, pine cones and cut materials.
• SPECIAL NOTES: Grass clippings and wooden construction debris are prohibited. All materials for dumping must be removed from plastic bags.

Curbside Chipping for District Residents:

Over the past eight years TDFPD has spoken with thousands of homeowners about defensible space and wildfire prevention and we heard that disposing of slash, cut limbs, brush and pine needles is the most significant impediment people have to creating adequate defensible space. In response the Zephyr Crew will run our community chipping program from May 25th through early October. Please note the following guidelines when requesting this service:

• Piles must be curbside and easily accessible.
• Limbs must be no larger than six inches in diameter.
• Please organize stick and branches so that the large end is pointed toward the road so that it can be easily grabbed and pulled into the chipper.
• Please note that the pile must not contain stumps, roots, garbage, nails, lumber or dirt. Dirty pine needles and other raked debris is very damaging for chippers, please try to keep piles clean.

Requests can be made by clicking the link below:

http://www.tahoefire.org/fuels-management/curbside-chipping

Defensible Space Evalautions:

Tahoe Douglas's staff forester, prevention  staff and Zephyr Fire Crew leadership can evaluate your defensible space, provide evaluation documentation consistent with Nevada State Law and acceptable by most homeowners insurance companies.  We can also issue TRPA Tree Removal Permits when tree removal is necessary for fire safety.  Defensible space consultations can be scheduled by calling 775-588-3591 or by clicking the link below:

http://www.tahoefire.org/fuels-management/service-request