Plan the ranch as working land—not one acreage number
A ranch may combine a residence, employee housing, barns, shops, equipment yards, hay storage, private roads, pastures, leased ground and natural vegetation. Those uses create different priorities and constraints. Total acreage does not tell WTG what vegetation is suitable, reachable or important enough to include in a professional pretreatment proposal.
WTG provides planned ground application of Komodo to suitable vegetation and ground fuels. It does not promise parcel-wide protection, install sprinkler systems, clear land, inspect buildings, move livestock, provide emergency response or certify a ranch against wildfire. This guide helps organize the decisions that belong in a mapped application scope.
Inventory priority buildings and operating areas
Start with the structures and operations whose interruption would matter most. Colorado State Forest Service recommends developing defensible-space zones around every building, including detached garages, storage buildings and barns. That broader work should guide priorities without being mistaken for a Komodo application map.
List each location separately and note its current use, surrounding vegetation and planned mitigation. A main residence, calving barn, machine shop and remote cabin may need different preparation and may not all belong in the same application phase. Review the ranch and large-property service.
- Homes, guest or staff housing and seasonal cabins
- Barns, stables, loafing sheds and livestock-handling areas
- Workshops, machine sheds and equipment storage
- Hay, feed and bedding storage areas
- Wells, pump houses, utility buildings and generators
- Entry areas, selected road corridors and staging areas
Build named treatment units around those priorities
Divide the request into locations a manager and crew can find again: “main house west vegetation,” “shop north edge,” “barn approach” or another plain field name. For each unit, show the proposed outline, priority asset, vegetation, access point and material exclusions. Keep noncontiguous areas separate.
A treatment unit is selected vegetation proposed for review—not every surface inside a perimeter and not an automatic distance around a building. Estimate map area when useful, but let suitability, terrain and current conditions determine the written scope. See how to estimate a treatment area.
Finish mowing, pruning and removal decisions first
Retardant should not obscure more basic mitigation work. Colorado State Forest Service advises starting with each structure, working outward and maintaining defensible space over time. Identify mowing, pruning, thinning, debris removal, fence replacement, grading, construction and landscape work that will change a proposed unit.
Where practical, complete that work before the final application footprint is approved. Treating vegetation that will soon be cut, grazed heavily, disturbed or removed creates an unclear record and avoidable cost. WTG does not perform those activities unless a separate written scope expressly says so. Compare pretreatment, defensible space and home hardening.
Overlay the ranch operating calendar
The property map must be read alongside daily and seasonal work. Share livestock movement, feeding, turnout, breeding or birthing seasons, haying, harvesting, irrigation, deliveries, lessons, events and planned contractor visits that could conflict with assessment or application. These details help identify a workable window; they do not create a guaranteed date.
WTG offers scheduled pretreatment, not urgent dispatch during an active wildfire. Weather, access and changed field conditions can still require a pause or reschedule. Review when to schedule treatment.
Keep animals, feed and forage outside assumptions
Show corrals, paddocks, pastures, arenas, kennels, chicken areas and the routes used to move animals. Mark feed, hay, grain, mineral, bedding and stored forage. A request to treat vegetation near a barn does not authorize application to an animal-use area, feed, pasture or crop.
Do not infer grazing suitability, animal exposure limits or a return interval from a general product statement. The exact formulation, current instructions, approved use and site plan must resolve each question. Unresolved animal, feed or forage areas stay excluded, and veterinary or agricultural questions belong with the appropriate veterinarian, Extension professional, manufacturer or authority. Use the pets, horses and livestock planning guide.
Map water, irrigation and drainage before drawing boundaries
Identify ponds, streams, springs, wetlands, wells, cisterns, tanks, troughs, intakes, irrigation lines, ditches, culverts and seasonal drainage. Include the direction water moves during irrigation, snowmelt and storms. Aerial imagery may miss a small swale, buried line or seasonal channel.
Water features do not produce one universal setback from this article. They require product-specific and site-specific review, and unresolved areas should remain excluded. Equipment staging, transfer and cleanup also need to account for drains and runoff pathways. Review water-aware treatment planning.
Walk equipment access separately from evacuation routes
Show gate widths, locks, bridges, cattle guards, grades, soft ground, overhead clearances, turnarounds, trailer space, hose routing and seasonal road conditions. Identify which routes must remain available for ranch operations and who can provide access without sending sensitive codes through the public inquiry form.
An accessible application route is not a certified evacuation route. Roadside or access-adjacent pretreatment cannot guarantee passability, safe egress or emergency-vehicle access during a wildfire. Maintain evacuation and livestock-movement plans with the responsible people and public authorities; WTG’s contract remains a planned vegetation service.
Keep utility resilience and application scope distinct
Wells, pumps, power systems, generators, fuel storage and communications can be essential to ranch operations, but their presence does not automatically make them part of WTG’s service. Record them on the property map so equipment routes and exclusions are understood. Use the appropriate technical professional to evaluate their wildfire resilience, code compliance and emergency function.
A vegetation-treatment proposal should not claim that a nearby well, tank or generator will remain available in an incident. Likewise, an active irrigation or water system does not establish that vegetation is ready for application. State which systems affect access, saturation, shutdowns or normal operations and who controls them.
Require evidence for the exact product and use
The proposal should name the exact Komodo product and formulation, intended ground-application use, current manufacturer directions and Safety Data Sheet. The September 15, 2025 U.S. Forest Service Qualified Products List and the agency’s November 2021 product sheet identify Komodo K500CC under stated pretreatment and ground-application conditions.
That listing does not qualify every formulation, certify WTG, approve a ranch project or promise durability, livestock safety or property survival. Product and method must match the cited evidence. Read the qualification and formulation guide.
Price phases against the same map and assumptions
Large properties are often easier to evaluate as a base scope plus named options. A first phase might address selected units around the residence and critical operations; later phases may cover separately approved locations. Each phase needs its own boundaries, exclusions, preparation, access and documentation. Completing one phase does not imply treatment of the entire ranch.
Compare proposals only after their units and responsibilities match. Confirm mobilization, travel, product, preparation, site coordination, documentation, field-change terms and follow-up before comparing totals. Do not convert parcel acreage or a manufacturer coverage range directly into a final price. Review treatment cost factors.
Create a completion record the next manager can understand
Keep the approved proposal, completed-unit map, exact product identification, service dates, exclusions, field changes and relevant photographs or observations together. Give the record to the owner and the person responsible for daily land management. Keep sensitive gate, security and personal information out of broadly shared copies.
Documentation shows what was done; it does not prove continuing efficacy, certify a firebreak, guarantee an insurance result or establish that untreated acreage was protected. Report later mowing, grazing, vegetation removal, irrigation changes, construction, erosion or other disturbance by unit and date. See what a useful treatment record contains.
Keep livestock evacuation and emergency response separate
USDA Climate Hubs and Colorado State University Extension direct ranch and livestock owners to prepare for wildfire and other disasters. Those resources belong in the broader ranch plan, but WTG is not the provider of evacuation, sheltering, livestock transport, firefighting or incident monitoring.
Do not let a completed application change the instruction to follow official alerts and evacuation orders. Treatment should be described accurately as one planned property measure alongside structure work, vegetation management, animal planning, utility resilience and emergency coordination.
Send WTG a ranch-ready starting brief
Provide the property address, approximate acreage for context, priority buildings and operating areas, named treatment units, current photographs or maps, general access constraints and the owner or manager contact. Identify animals, feed, water, irrigation, leased or shared land, planned vegetation work and preferred operating windows.
Request a ranch wildfire pretreatment quote. WTG will review suitable vegetation, operating fit, travel, mapped boundaries, exclusions and scheduling before confirming a proposal. The inquiry is not binding and does not promise property survival, livestock safety, evacuation access, insurance treatment or a fixed protection period.
Questions about this service
Does WTG treat an entire ranch by acreage?
Not automatically. WTG evaluates selected, suitable vegetation in named treatment units. Buildings, roads, animal areas, water, crops, inaccessible land and unresolved ownership may remain outside the scope.
Which ranch buildings should be prioritized first?
Start with the residence and the buildings or operating areas whose loss or interruption matters most. Existing mitigation advice, current vegetation, access and daily use should inform the order; WTG does not prescribe one universal ranking.
Can pasture or grazing land be treated?
This guide does not establish that pasture, forage or grazing areas are suitable. The exact product, approved use, site conditions and animal-management questions must be resolved before any such area is included.
Can a ranch manager approve the project?
Yes, if the owner or contracting party gives that authority. The proposal should distinguish who coordinates access from who may approve scope, price and field changes.
Can WTG treat vegetation along private ranch roads?
Suitable vegetation may be considered after authority, access, drainage, utilities and exclusions are reviewed. Treatment does not guarantee the road will remain open or safe during a wildfire.
How should a large ranch project be phased?
Use named units tied to priority buildings or operations. Price each phase with its own map, preparation, access and records so completing one phase is not mistaken for treatment of the whole property.
Does WTG provide livestock evacuation or emergency spraying?
No. WTG provides scheduled professional vegetation pretreatment. Maintain livestock movement, evacuation, sheltering and emergency response arrangements separately and follow public-authority instructions.