Here’s a step-by-step approach to managing ladder fuels on your private property:

1) Familiarize yourself with community standards

• Review the Sunriver Ladder Fuels Reduction Plan which details the mandatory vegetation management standards that every owner must maintain on their private property.

2) Conduct an LFR self-assessment to identify needed ladder fuel reduction treatments on your property

• Be sure to verify your property boundaries and limit work to within those boundaries.
• Explore our LFR and Wildfire Property Preparedness webpages thoroughly: browse through our FAQs below for helpful definitions and diagrams, check out our plant identification page, and familiarize yourself with all of our content – the answers you need may be just a few clicks away!

3) Make a plan to ensure ladder fuels are treated to increase the defensibility of your property and ensure the property meets all mandatory community standards

• The vast majority of LFR activities can be performed on a private property without a permit. However, a permit is required prior to pine tree or Ponderosa seedling thinning or removal.
• Owners who complete LFR work themselves may participate in the LFR Pick-up Program. 
• Share your LFR self-assessment with a contractor to perform LFR work on your behalf.  (Note: Third parties working on your behalf cannot participate in the LFR Pick-up Program and must remove all LFR debris from a private property.)

4) Establish seasonal and annual LFR maintenance routines, as our forested environment is dynamic and things grow, die, droop, fall off, or otherwise accumulate regularly!

The majority of Sunriver owners voluntarily comply with the Sunriver LFR Plan. 

Conditions on one property affect others, and LFR treatments are most effective when applied uniformly and consistently throughout the community. Natural Resources Department staff inspect private properties for compliance with the Plan.  Inspections are typically conducted biannually at all private properties in Sunriver, but may be conducted annually based on a property’s compliance status.

Inspections involve a review of the ladder fuels present within the boundaries of a single private property.  Natural Resources staff refer to the Sunriver LFR Plan to identify conditions that do not meet the mandatory standards and assess cumulative fuel load. 

Notices (either a Courtesy Notice or a Notice of Deficiency) are mailed to owners whose properties have a high cumulative fuel load – among the highest in the community – and who are subject to enforcement action if corrective action is not taken by a specified date.    

• Do not wait to get a notice from SROA to reduce ladder fuels on your property and do not assume all conditions on your property meet the LFR Plan standards in the absence of a notice! Use the LFR Self-Assessment and perform regular LFR maintenance to minimize wildfire risk on your property and ensure ongoing compliance. 
• Notices are accompanied by a permit identifying the specific conditions that do not meet the standards in the Sunriver LFR Plan and require corrective action.

• As noted in the Sunriver LFR Plan, owners have sole responsibility for veri­fication of property lines.  The entire property is subject to meeting fuels reduction standards and all LFR activities shall be confined to within an owner’s private property boundaries.  Accessing a private property via SROA commons is prohibited.
• Find your property pins which are usually 18+ inch long pieces of iron rebar placed vertically in the ground at the corners and/or at radial points of a parcel. The rebar may have a colored plastic surveyor’s cap. The top of the pin should be at ground level but often can get pushed underground over time. If this happens you can locate pins by digging or using a metal detector in the area where you think they are located.
• Visit Deschutes DIAL at https://dial.deschutes.org/ to obtain a taxlot map showing dimensions of your property.
• Contact SROA’s Community Development department at designinfo@srowners.org or 541-593-6645 to request a copy of any site plans on record for your property.
• Contact a surveyor for assistance with locating your boundaries.
• Check out this article from the February 2026 edition of The Scene for more tips on property boundary identification in Sunriver.

• Owners or a contractor hired by an owner may perform all LFR activities noted on a permit.  Owners are responsible for work performed on their property (including the actions of a contractor) and for ensuring work is completed in a professional manner and in accordance with the Sunriver Ladder Fuels Reduction Plan and Sunriver Rules & Regulations.  SROA does not endorse any contractor and cannot make any recommendations or referrals.  Owners are encouraged to practice due diligence when hiring a contractor.
• Identify possible contractors by soliciting recommendations from community members and checking with reputable business associations.
• Verify the status of all contractor licenses or registrations by searching on the Oregon Construction Contractor Board’s website or the Oregon Landscape Contractors Board’s website.
• Validate professional credentials with the awarding institution. For example, ISA Certified Arborist® credentials can be confirmed at  www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist.
• Communicate with potential contractors about the scope of your project and key deadlines by sharing a copy of your SROA Forest Management – LFR Permit.  TIP: If noted on your permit, contact SROA to mark trees for removal and obtain an updated permit PRIOR to speaking with potential contractors.
• Request written bids or estimates from multiple contractors.
• Secure a contract that details the full scope of the work to be performed – including the removal of all debris generated by LFR activities, and that includes a completion date prior to the expiration date on the permit.
• Personally verify that all agreed upon work has been completed by the contractor (or ask a trusted third party to do so on your behalf) prior to requesting a re-inspection by the Natural Resources Department.

• The vast majority of LFR activities can be performed on a private property without a permit. However, a permit is required prior to pine tree or Ponderosa seedling thinning or removal.  Appendix A of the Sunriver LFR Plan provides a quick reference of permitting requirements for LFR activities in Sunriver. (Refer to the Sunriver LFR Plan for complete details and requirements.)

• Preventing ground fire from spreading to the tree canopy is a crucial measure in reducing wildfire risk. This is achieved by eliminating designated vegetation near the dripline of a tree that can act as a “ladder,” connecting ground fuels to the canopy.
• The dripline of a tree is the area located directly under the outer circumference of the tree branches. Imagine drawing a circle on the ground around a tree that follows the tips of the tree’s furthest branches.  Everything within that circle is inside of the tree dripline. Now, imagine drawing a second, concentric circle three feet outside of the dripline circle. This second, outer circle represents the imaginary boundary known as “3 feet beyond the dripline” of a tree.

• Dead limbs may be removed at any time from conifer trees.  Late winter to early spring is the preferred time to prune live limbs before the growing season begins. Proper pruning techniques will minimize damage and support wound closure if limbs are removed in sub-optimal periods.
• Make pruning cuts just outside the branch collar to avoid damaging the trunk and compromising wound responses. Support the branch with one hand while you make the cut to prevent the bark from ripping.
• If a large limb is to be removed, its weight should first be reduced, using the three-step method pictured. If a large branch must be shortened, prune it back to a secondary branch or a bud.

• Small branches can be cut easily with hand pruners or loppers. Scissor-type or bypass-blade hand pruners are preferred over the anvil type as they make cleaner, more accurate cuts. Cuts larger than one-half inch in diameter should be made with lopping shears or a pruning saw. Do not use hedge shears to prune a tree. Whatever tool you use, make sure it is kept clean and sharp.

• No, not without a permit. With the exception of SROA designated noxious weeds, alteration or removal of any vegetation on commons is prohibited. Limited LFR work may be authorized following the issuance of a permit from SROA and signing of a liability waiver.
• Complete a Tree/Vegetation Removal Request to request authorization to perform limited LFR work on SROA commons (such as bitterbrush or lodgepole seedling removal, or tree limbing).

• Contact the SROA Natural Resources Department at naturalresources@srowners.org or 541-593-1522 for assistance.

• The SROA Natural Resources Department will assess any tree for potential removal using the criteria in the Sunriver LFR Plan only. Staff can also assess a requested scope of work for limbing and crown cleaning. A tree’s proximity to a structure alone (or the proximity of its branches) is not criteria for staff to authorize removal.
• For information about home insurance coverage, please visit the Oregon Division of Financial Regulations website. Here you will find information on how to navigate conversations with your insurer, verify legality and submit complaints, and shop for the insurance coverage that is right for you.