The Nevada Division of Forestry is hosting “Junk The Junipers,” 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., May 16 at the division’s office, 885 Eastlake Blvd. in Washoe Valley. A second event is hosted by the Bureau of Land Management and Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District on May 23 at the Silver Lake Fire Station, 11525 Red Rock Road. University of Nevada Cooperative Extension is encouraging residents of local communities to bring their junipers, pines, rabbitbrush, sagebrush and other woody vegetation to be chipped for free. Participants will receive a coupon from Moana Nursery for 30 percent off a “good plant choice,” Moana-grown replacement shrub.
Junk The Junipers is a Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month event, and promotes the month’s message, “Improve Your Odds – Prepare for Wildfire!” This is a collaborative effort sponsored by the Silver Lake Volunteer Fire Department, Bureau of Land Management, Moana Nursery, Nevada Division of Forestry, Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District and University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.
“Though ornamental junipers can often be a good plant choice for Nevada’s climate and soils, they are highly flammable, and their presence in a landscape is a major factor in whether or not a home will survive a wildfire,” said Ed Smith, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension natural resources specialist and Living With Fire program director. “A good way to prepare your home for wildfire is to get rid of junipers that are within 30 feet of your home and bring them to be chipped.”
Vegetation chipped at the event will be used as mulch in various locations. Materials that will not be accepted for chipping are: construction lumber, hazardous materials, lawn clippings, sod, dirt-infested vegetation and tree stumps or limbs greater than 8 inches in diameter.
Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month is a collaborative effort by local, state and federal firefighting agencies; University of Nevada Cooperative Extension; and many others. Events and activities are being held across the state. For more information on Junk The Junipers, contact Sonya Sistare at [email protected] or 775-336-0271. To learn more about Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month activities, visit www.LivingWithFire.info[livingwithfire.info].
