Trees were trimmed by qualified contractors on this Carson property, and 85% of the cost of the work was covered by TSWCD.
The Carson Firewise Committee worked hard to get Carson designated as a FireWise Community. Part of this designation involves having property owners take action to have their personal property protected by a fire protection zone around the structures.
The Taos Soil and Water Conservation District (TSWCD) has a program that will pay 85% of the cost to protect your buildings. They will visit your site to determine how much work needs to be done and present a budget estimate to the TSWCD Board for approval. They will then revisit your site and develop a treatment plan that involves marking trees and vegetation that need thinning and/or removal; this is done with your consent.
Once a plan is prepared you can decide to execute the plan yourself if your budget does not permit hiring contractors, or get bids from qualified contractors. This is your decision but you will at least have a plan that is required for the FireWise Community designation to guide the steps you need to take.
Call Peter Allen (505-795-3298) if you have any questions about the above. The person to contact at TSWCD for a more detailed explanation of the program is Charlotte Martinez 575-751-0584.
Lower limbs of trees were trimmed and all the cut branches were removed to create a clear defensible area.