Hazardous Fuels Reduction Grant 2021-2022
News Flash!
FLFD has been awarded a follow-on grant for 2023-2024. Watch this space for updates.
2021-2022 Grant is Still Active
Forest Lakes Fire District (FLFD) has received a grant from the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (ADFFM) to assist our property owners with the cost of removing hazardous fuels from their properties according to Firewise standards. Our grant covers benefits for 50 1-acre lots. We submitted the 50 early applicant lots and owner names to State Forestry, and they have approved our list.
Owners will receive a 90% reimbursement from FLFD, up to a total of $2250 per lot (90% of $2500 maximum reimbursable cost per 1-acre lot). Then FLFD will be reimbursed through the grant. Please note that it may cost some property owners more than $2500 to treat their property in accordance with Firewise standards. General landscape maintenance such as mowing, regular trimming, or leaf/needle raking does not qualify for reimbursement.
- Example: A property owner arranges with a contractor for a Firewise assessment, and to discuss which trees need to be removed. Then the owner agrees with a contractor to remove the necessary trees for $3000. After the work is completed and approved by FLFD the owner receives a check from FLFD for $2250 (90% of the $2500 grant maximum). The owner is responsible for the remaining $750 payment to the contractor.
The property owners included in the grant plan should contact one or more contractors to discuss their individual lot assessment and establish fuels reduction plans. Once the individual plan is approved, each owner will schedule the work with their chosen contractor. 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.
If you are not on our initial list of 50 property owners, contact john@jnservices.net, and we will put you on our backup list and will contact you if one of the planned owners does not follow through with treating their lot. We will prioritize high-hazard lots. There is a good chance that additional owners will have an opportunity to participate.
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
Action Tree Service, Chris Buckley, 928-240-1401
Bill’s Landscaping, Bill Morehead, 928-595-1346
Graeber Tree Service, Chris Graeber, 520-255-8633, graebertreeservice@gmail.com
RIM Outdoor Solutions, Taber Heisler, 928-940-2099, rimstumpgrinder@gmail.com
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.
