WROA Firewise Committee
Therese Borgerding (Committee Chair)
Blaine Smith
Andrew Chasen
John Larson (Board Liaison)
(Go to WR Contacts to send a message to the committee.)
Click here to view the Protecting Trees From Bark Beetles presentation given on January 27, 2021
Click here to listen/watch the recorded presentation "
Protecting Trees From Bark Beetles" from January 27, 2021. Passcode dDo47^L0
Rules for Use of the Woody Debris Deposit Site (located at the intersection of Wilderness Way and Meadow Lane)
- The woody debris deposit site is for Wilderness Ranch residents use only. Use by non-residents or vendors working for Wilderness Ranch residents is prohibited.
- Do not attempt to use the site unless it is open.
- This site is for vegetation only.
- Allowable items for dumping include leaves, grass, pine needles, tree branches, brush, and old bark
- No household items (furniture, cardboard, glass, metal, etc)
- No plastic, plastic bags, or trash
- No construction material or treated wood (no nails, fasteners, etc
- No tree stumps (they take too long to burn and will smolder)
- If you are unsure about dumping any item, play it safe and don’t deposit it in this site.
- Deposit your debris as far back in the site as possible unless otherwise instructed by signage at the site.
- The use of this facility is hazardous to the users’ personal safety and property. Use at your own risk.
Contact the Firewise Committee with any questions or concerns
Click here for the steps you can take to make your home Firewise safe
Click here to help you decide to defend your home or to evacuate: It's your decision.
Click here for more about your option to shelter in place during a wildfire
Click here to find out why "Stay and Defend" is recommended for Ranch residents
Click here to download the Home Evacuation Checklist
Click here to download the Firewise activities list
Click here to download a Firewise activities tracking worksheet
Boise County has implemented the AlertSense system, which automatically contacts those who have signed up for the service to provide information about fire or weather events that threaten county residents.
Click here to sign up for Boise County Alerts via AlertSense.
Why Wilderness Ranch Is a Firewise Community
In 2002, Wilderness Ranch gained recognition as a Firewise Community. The national Firewise Communities program is a multi-agency effort designed to involve homeowners, community leaders, planners, developers, and others in the effort to protect people, property, and natural resources from the risk of wildland fire before a fire starts.
The Firewise Communities approach emphasizes community responsibility for planning in the design of a safe community as well as effective emergency response and individual responsibility for safer home construction and design, landscaping, and maintenance. The national Firewise Communities program is intended to serve as a resource for agencies, tribes, organizations, fire departments, and communities across the U.S. who are working toward a common goal: reduce loss of lives, property, and resources to wildland fire by building and maintaining communities in a way that is compatible with our natural surroundings.
The primary benefit of being a Firewise Community is that it will ultimately help the Wilderness Ranch Fire Protection District (WRFPD) and other agencies who respond to a wildfire on the Ranch do a better job of protecting WR residents and their property. Those who participate in the project develop a greater awareness of the threat of wildfire on the Ranch. That awareness leads to the recognition of needs for specific protective measures, and that awareness leads to actions that make more homes defensible against wildfire.
Since our designation as a Firewise community . . .
- Numerous homeowners have taken action to reduce the risk of wildfire causing damage to their property. (Take a look around; you really can tell which owners have taken measures to protect their homes from wildfire.)
- We have designated a deposit site where property owners can get rid of woody debris from their hazardous fuel reduction projects. It is located near the intersection of Wilderness Ranch Road and Meadow Lane near the water tank. A sign marks the spot. Please use this area to deposit woody debris only. Trash belongs at the dump.
- We have limbed trees and thinned brush along Ranch Roads and escape routes to make it safer for residents to evacuate and fire suppression equipment to access the Ranch.
- We are in the midst of a multi-phase fire mitigation and forest management plan for the Common Area.
- Numerous homes have been evaluated for their ability to survive a wildfire, and grant money has been provided to homeowners to complete hazardous fuel reduction projects.
- We have thoroughly researched the risk/benefits of Stay and Defend in the event of a wildfire and have made recommendations for residents to consider.
- Wilderness Ranch has been featured on NBC Nightly News and National Public Radio for its Firewise efforts in addition to being a training and demonstration site for communities across the country.
For more information about Firewise Communities, including a wide range of videos and
Click here to see before and after photos of fuel reduction projects on the Ranch.
