great wildfire community preparation day on May2
Hazardous Fuels Reduction Grant 2025-2026
NEW Grant Funding for 2025-2026 Has Been Awarded
Forest Lakes Fire District (FLFD) has received notice of a Healthy Forest Initiative grant award from the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (AZ DFFM) to assist our property owners with the cost of removing hazardous fuels from their properties according to Firewise standards. Our approved project plan provides for 80% cost reimbursement for tree thinning projects up to $4000 per acre.
We have already established our list of properties to participate in this latest grant funding. All properties within Forest Lakes that do not currently meet Firewise criteria and which have not been treated previously using any grant funding are eligible. Any additional interested property owners should contact john@jnservices.net to be added to the grant recipient backup list.
General landscape maintenance such as mowing, regular trimming, or leaf/needle raking does not qualify for grant reimbursement. The property owners participating in the grant will complete a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU, see below) with FLFD to establish the terms of the agreement. They should then contact one or more contractors to discuss their individual lot assessment and establish fuels reduction plans. Each of the contractors identified below works closely with FLFD personnel to ensure that the tree thinning plan meets Firewise standards and all grant reimbursement requirements.
- Example: A property owner arranges with one or more contractors for a Firewise assessment, a discussion on which trees need to be removed, and a price quote for the contractors work. Then the owner agrees with a selected contractor to remove the necessary trees on one acre for $6500. After the work is completed and approved by FLFD the owner pays the contractor $6500 and submits copies of their invoice and actual payment to FLFD. The owner then receives a check from FLFD for $3200 (80% of the $4000 maximum covered cost per acre).
The preferred method for paying the contractors is personal check. Checks are easy to copy for our record submittal to DFFM. Credit card payment can also work, but requires a copy of either the actual transaction or a redacted statement from the bank. DFFM is hesitant to approve cash payments because they cannot be independently audited.
Our goal is to have as many Forest Lakes lots as possible meet Firewise standards, which is generally about 70 trees per acre. Grant recipients are expected to maintain properties in future years by trimming shrubs and removing needles or other flammable debris.
Our Green Waste Transfer Station just north of the community is the ideal place to take slash, needles, and logs. See https://flfdaz.com/gwts .
Bark beetles are a real threat to the health of the Ponderosa pine trees in Forest Lakes. For details on these beetles and the harm they cause, see the FAQ page at forestlakesaz.com.
The US Forest Service has been working diligently to make our surrounding forests less prone to wildfire. We owe it to them to do our part!
Participating Contractors
All Terrain Landscaping, Bill Morehead, 928-595-1346
Alpine Land Works LLC, Chris Corker, 928-513-0441, alpinelandworks@yahoo.com
Mogollon Tree Service, Ernie Delgado, 928-240-0439
Rim Communities Tree Service, Hal Hall, 928-409-0063
Rim Country Woodworx, Ben Perry, 928-951-3967, paysonfirewood@yahoo.com
RIM Outdoor Solutions, Taber Heisler, 928-940-2099, rimstumpgrinder@gmail.com
Rock Hard Tree Service, Joey Sartor, 539-77-9128
Russell Beaver Tree Service, 928-205-9442, rhotshot@frontier.com
Southwest Forestry, Tommy Brewer, 928-551-0736, southwestforestry64@gmail.com
Wallace Tree Service, Clay Wallace, 928-358-3704
Owners may choose other contractors as well, but those contractors should coordinate with FLFD prior to starting work.
Goals
The Hazardous Fuels Reduction initiative is geared to Firewise standards. The goal is for each 1-acre parcel to have no more than 70 to 80 trees, spaced as shown in the figure below.
