Sierra Los Pinos and five other small communities in the Jemez Mountains has been a pilot Firewise Community since 2001. You can find a small blurb about us at www.firewise.org and get information and ideas about making your own home and property more fire wise. As part of the effort to inform and encourage property owners in the wildland urban interface, Sierra Los Pinos along with the Greater Eastern Jemez Wildland/Urban Interface Corp (a non profit 501(c)3 corp which was created to address Firewise practices in our communities www.jemez.org/mitigation ) has promoted Curb Side Chipping in Sierra Los Pinos.
Excess fuels and growth on our properties contributes to the overall threat of wild fire in our communities. Excess fuels is the number one listed concern which will contribute to a catastrophic wild fire disaster in our neighborhood. Yet even when owners recognize the threat, doing something about may seem overwhelming. Even if an owner is willing to see some of his brush and small trees removed, disposing of the green waste is intimidating. So Sierra Los Pinos, has since 2007, arranged for a small crew with a chipper to chip piles of aligned slash which owners stack at the road side of their property. Sierra Los Pinos Property Owners Association pays for this service and would encourage everyone who is able to participate. The chipper usually chips the available piles at the end of May or beginning of June, giving notice to the resident that the chipper is coming several months in advance so that owners are able to get out in the spring and generate some piles for the chipper. Even if owners don’t feel they are able to do everything that is necessary to reduce fuels on their property, our Firewise Community wishes everyone to make a start, and then have the opportunity to add to the effort each year.
This service, hopefully, will encourage people to generate their slash during the spring, and will dispose of that same slash before the fire season of June, July and August before the monsoon rain arrive. Gives residents control over what is removed from their own property, and if dependable, will allow owners to see a portion of what needs to go done each year. Please let the board know if this service is important to you as the board
is always concerned about the wise use of our dues.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.
Ann Cooke, Board Member and Firewise Community (GEJWUIC) President