By MAGGIE MCMURRAY
Moapa Valley Progress
It is no secret that trees in Moapa Valley are struggling.
Earlier this fall, UNCE horticulturalist ML Robison and State Entomologist Jeff Knight visited several Moapa Valley residences in an effort to discover what was causing the rapid decline of many pine and ash trees in the community. After a careful examinagion that there was no easy answer to the problem. Thus trees in the valley keep succumbing. And the number of dead trees on properties has increased. This has also increased fire hazards in the area.
Last month, the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension hosted a workshop in conjunction with the Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF) to let residents know about a grant to help residents clear dead trees from their properties and create a defensible space in case of fire.
Chris Faehling, Fire Protection Officer for the NDF, came to Logandale from Pioche to give a Nov. 28 presentation to a full room of interested residents.
“This grant is specifically for the homes and communities along the Muddy and Virgin rivers,” Faehling said. “Our goal is to reduce the debris around area homes to help make them safer in the case of fire.”
He explained that the NDF will come and do an initial tour of proposed properties and can write a stewardship plan. Then the NDF will come and remove any dead, or even live, trees or debris that pose a fire hazard.
“The goal of this grant concentrates on fuel reduction,” Faehling said. “We are helping the landowner protect his property and adjacent homes by initiating fuel reduction.”
The best part is that the service is all free for the property owner who also has the final say about what is and isn’t removed. Faehling said that the NDF makes recommendations to the homeowner but that they do not have to follow them in order to receive help.
NDF leaves the larger pieces of wood but chips all the smaller logs and branches into mulch to go around the property to help retain moisture in the ground, Faehling said. They also remove and chip brush and will cut stumps to ground level. The grant covers all brush and trees including quail brush, salt bush, tamarisk (salt cedar), and dead pines.
The NDF stresses that there are many potential hazards around homes. These include construction materials, dead or diseased vegetation, vegetation too close to property structures or propane tanks single pane windows and more. Under this grant, the NDF can help homeowners remove all of these hazards.
The NDF recommends creating at least a three foot non-combustible area around homes. A “lean, clean, and green area” that is irrigated and filled only with fire-resistant plants should extend another 30 feet past that. All property should be cleaned up with dead vegetation removed.
There are some simple steps required to take advantage of th grant. Firstly, there needs to be a group of at least four or five homeowners interested in a given area. Property to be cleaned up need not be your own, but consent must be obtained from the actual property owner. NDF will then come and tour the properties and create a stewardship plan with the homeowner. Once the plan is approved, crews will come in and begin the work.
Paperwork and information booklets can be picked up from the office of UNCE during normal work hours.
Those that attended the seminar were excited about the opportunity to receive help. Stephanie McCauley expressed concern over the number of dead and dying trees in her neighborhood, several of which came down during the latest windstorm.
“It was a great seminar and I’m excited to maybe get some help,” she said. “There are dead trees all over our neighborhood and more dying all the time. It’s a safety issue now with our kids.”
Attendee Bob Dreyfus agreed, saying, “This was an important topic. I see applications to our residential areas because it affects our homes and our structures.”
For more information, call UNCE at 702-397-2604, or drop by and pick up an application or more information at 1897 N Moapa Valley Blvd, Logandale.
