Library

Five step plan from the Tahoe Fire & Fuels team outlining how to create an effective defensible space for wildfire protection. Recommendations include siting for homes on slopes.

Journal article describing energy impacts from shade trees and forests and solar heating and air infiltration.

Factsheet describing ways to install sheathing over existing 1x roof decking.

Checklist describing requirements for roof sheathing along the gable end truss or rafter to achive a FORTIFIED Roof, including New Roof designations and exceptions.

Checklist highlighting key concepts of wind design uplift pressures and design uplift pressure ratings for proper selection and installation of residential roof covering systems to comply with section R905.1 of the 2015 International Residential Code for a FORTIFIED Roof™–New Roof designation.

Checklist providing selection and installation guidance for residential, non-structural metal roof systems installed over wood roof decks with a roof slope 2:12 or greater to comply with section R905.1 of the 2015 IRC for a FORTIFIED Roof – New Roof Designation.

Checklist providing additional guidance and options for asphalt shingle installations at roof edges, intersections and valleys.

Website offering an online training that teaches disaster-resistant best practices for roofers.

Article describing a numerical model that can be used to size foundation heat exchanger (FHX) systems.

Document describing living shoreline techniques for shoreline stabilization.

Document that gives a step-by-step approach for designing attachments for cladding materials through foam sheathing.

Article describing tree preservation during the construction process.

Web article about solar site assessment.

Report presenting seismic design and construction guidance for one- and two-family houses for homebuilders, knowledgeable homeowners, and other non-engineers.

Article from The Earthbound Report on passive cooling design strategies for homes located in hot climates.

Wildfire guidance for homes located in the wildland urban interface, focused on site design and individual pieces of the home.

Ignition resistant residential construction and landscaping guidelines from FireSafe Montana.

Research study describing the impact resistance performance of advanced framed wall systems with insulating sheathing as the primary sheathing from wind blown debris.

Article from University of Arizona on keeping homes cool during extreme heat, both personal and system changes.

Article showing steps for kick out flashing at roof-wall intersection.

Guide describing landscaping tips for healthy and regionally-based gardens, including maintenance, mulching, water efficiency, and plant resources.

Paper describing vegetation impacts on cooling load for buildings.

Guide for homeowners describing actions they can take to modify their home and the surrounding site to create a survivable space to reduce the amount of damage a home would likely experience during a wildfire.

A webpage outlining CAL FIRE’s recommendations for creating defensible space.

Siding installation guide for Ply Gem Siding Group products.

Case study about how to properly tape insulating sheathing drainage planes.

Paper describing energy savings in space cooling from shading condenser units.

Discussion of building sheathing.

Report providing extensive guidance on controlling moisture in building envelopes through proper selection and installation on air, water, thermal, and vapor barriers.

Article describing mulch requirements and benefits.

Article describing mulching with lawn clippings.

Pamphlet describing different types of mulches and their benefits.

Online geospatial map with interactive viewer showing flood risk areas and base flood elevations

Report for local governments, planners, emergency managers, developers, insurers, and property owners describing ways to improve the wildfire resistance of buildings, infrastructure and communities in the wildland urban interface.

An NFPA Standard that identifies a method for determining the minimum water supply necessary for structural fire-fighting purposes in areas where it has been determined that there is no water or inadequate water for fire fighting.

An NFPA standards document that provides minimum requirements for the design, construction, installation, and maintenance of tanks and accessory equipment that supply water for private fire protection.

Report covering wind loading on roofing assemblies.

Paper describing a study on savings in peak power and cooling energy for homes with shade trees.

Brochure describing what permeable pavement is, where to install it, and how to maintain it.

Pamphlet describing proper mulching around trees and problems and benefits associated with mulching.

Report providing wildfire protection guidance for homeowners in California.

Guidance document describing urban heat islands, what they are, how they form, why we care, and including some strategies to reduce them.

Report providing architects, designers, and homeowners with information to make house plans useful for constructing a more wind resilient structure.

Fact sheet describing proper roof sheathing installation and illustrating fastening methods that will enhance the durability of a building in high-wind areas; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Website tool that can search for trees by name or characteristics and retrieve data describing tree attributes including site preferences and general characteristics and considerations.

A research paper exploring the design, installation, repair and maintenance of solar water and pool heating technologies.

Guide describing the installation of windows in walls that have foam plastic insulating; guide provides several methods for attaching, supporting, and flashing windows in walls with rigid foam sheathing. (Note: The link only goes to the table of contents for the guide, the full guide can be...

Document describing correct construction of swales, designed to trap particulate pollutants (suspended solids and trace metals), promote infiltration, and reduce the flow velocity of storm water runoff.

Paper describing landscaping influences on heat gain through shading, infiltration shielding, and microclimate creation for nearby buildings.

Conference paper describing testing of the performance of fasteners used to attach rigid foam insulation to the exterior of walls.