Am I too late to get in on the last grant?  And if so, when is the next one going to be available?

Yes, the most recent grant cycle end December 31^st, 2007.  All but about $10K was spent of the total $225K allocation.  The remainder has been returned to the federal government.  The next grant will be dependent upon the successful completion of Sandoval County’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) projected to be completed the summer of 2008.  Once completed, the granting agencies will consider any of our relevant applications for grants.  We haven’t written any lately, since we couldn’t be considered without a CWPP.  At any rate, new grants are only being issued for a 50/50 split, if awarded.

What is this I hear about a grant being offered to the property owners of the Jemez Corridor for Thinning?

The Greater Eastern Jemez Wildland Urban Interface Corporation (GEJWUIC) was loosely created in late summer of 2001, and began as a committee of local home owners in the Jemez Corridor, in response to several recent occurrences: an opportunity to become a pilot program for FireWise Communities/USA, the Cerro Grande Fire in Los Alamos, and a recognition of community members that the Jemez needed and could do something to mitigate wild fire danger in the Jemez Corridor.  The Committee set to work by organizing and offering Chipper Days in the Jemez Corridor, writing grant applications for thinning assistance, and coordinating with the Forest Service, County and State to explore options for our residents.  In 2003, we were informed that we were successful in acquiring our first grant award for $100K, and were informed by the State that we would have to change our committee into a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation in order to administer this grant and any others that would follow.  In 2004, the committee successfully became a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable corporation, named the Greater Eastern Jemez Wildland Urban Interface Corp. (GEJWUIC).

Who are these people that comprise this organization and why did they become involved?

 All of us own property here in the Jemez, and believe that we can do something to help ourselves and our neighbors protect our property and homes from the threat of wildfire.  Anybody that is interested in contributing to this effort is welcome.  The Corporation continues to encourage representation from each of the six communities the comprise the Greater Eastern Jemez, namely Cochiti Mesa, Thompson Ridge, Sierra Los Pinos Area, La Cueva Area,  Seven Springs, and Areas 1, 2 and 3.  Most of the current active members of the board are homeowners here in the Jemez and have been active in thinning our own property for the last decade.  We recognize that either people haven’t much thought about the hazards of wildfire in the Jemez or much of the advice given for preparing for the possibility of a wildfire has been wholly inadequate or perhaps fictitious and possibly dangerous.  But we believe that issues of wildfire may be tractable and solvable for ourselves and our communities.  We like living in the forest and have strong ties to this area.  We recognize the inherent problems and difficulty in cutting and then disposing of slash and realize that the rest of the Jemez has the same difficulties.  We think we can make a change for the better for all of us.  Current contact information for essential people can be found on our "Contacts"page.

I’ve heard something about this grant for some time now.  Why has this taken so long?

In March of 2004, the corporation was working with the State to develop a ‘work plan’ that established the parameters by which the grant would work and the money would be distributed.  By the end of June, 2004 most of the details had been negotiated and time lines had been agreed to; one last requirement had to be fulfilled before the State would bind itself to the ‘work plan’ and sign – GEJWUIC needed to be a recognized as a charitable organization, able to receive funds from this grant without paying income tax on the grant funds.  Concurrently, the corporation was exploring all the requirements for being a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and had been assured that it was a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and was operating legally within the grace window the IRS allowed for filing the necessary paper work and fees.  By the end of June, the details of the ‘work plan’ were agreed to, which included a statement that the applications for the grant assistance would be made available to the public by August 2004, and therefore we published the applications for assistance in July.  Meanwhile, at the beginning of July, 2004, the State made clear what its criteria were for a charitable corporation; the receipt of a ‘letter of tax exempt recognition’ from the IRS.  We received this letter at the beginning of October.  The State signed the ‘work plan’ at the beginning of November.  Once the ‘work plan’ was in effect, the corporation published the request for proposals in December and acquired 6 Thinning Contractor that agreed to the requirements of the proposal, by the end of January 2005.  The corporation began contacting property owners in Areas 1, 2 and 3 in February and March, Sierra Los Pinos, Thompson Ridge, La Cueva and Seven Springs in April through September of 2005.  And in February and March of2006, we were evaluating and thinning the last of the applicants and finishing out the funds from the first $100K grant.  On March 9^th, 2006 the next Grant’s Work Plan was signed by the State and we will begin taking applications by Mid March, 2006 for this $225K grant.  

These contractors that will be doing thinning on my property, are they insured?

 Yes, when all GEJWUIC’s contractors submitted an application to our request for proposal, they were required to submit to GEJWUIC proof of insurance.  All are bonded and insured and have attended a training session provide by State Forestry.

Since I’m interested in having my property thinned of excessive fuels, why should I make these arrangements through GEJWUIC? 

You don’t have to.  In fact, if you are comfortable paying the full price and have a reasonably large tract of land that you wish thinned, or perhaps don’t want to be held to the final 60 basal area standard, then we would recommend that you make your own arrangements. 

However, if you own less than one acre of land to be thinned, most contractors don’t find this worth their time and so charge a hefty price even if you can convince them to take the job.  The contractors accepted by GEJWUIC, those that submitted their completed proposals to GEJWUIC, have agreed to do this work for established base prices that were set by the State of New Mexico and the Federal Government.  These prices are eminently reasonable to the property owner, and we doubt that any individual will be offered comparable prices.  (Refer to the pricing rates list.)  Further, working through GEJWUIC allows for a substantial reduction of the base price to the property owner, as the grant will pay up to 70% of the cost; you can get more land thinned for your money.  Why have the contractors agreed to these good prices?  Because GEJWUIC is concentrating the work for them by accepting request from the public for this type of work, arranging the preliminary inspections with the property owner and arranging for closely spaced jobs of a reasonable size and scope to make it worth their while, while reducing the overhead to them of having to scare up all these jobs in a localized area on their own.

Can’t I just get the names of the contractors and make my own arrangements?

Yes, you can have the names of these GEJWUIC’s contractors and make your own arrangement.  However, these contractors may not bind themselves to the same price rates as negotiated through the grant process.  Though we hope that with this set of established and accepted pricing rates, property owners in the Jemez will have better bargaining leverage with all contractors.

I am concerned that the final thinning density requirement of 60 basal area may be too thin for my tastes.  Why is this standard required?

Because GEJWUIC is administering a federal grant for the Jemez Corridor, the government’s purpose is to help property owners reduce excessive fuels on their property.  Eventually, the goal is to reduce wildfire hazard in the wildland/urban interface and reduce the cost of fighting wildfires and the cost of losses due to these wildfires.  Therefore, the thinning standard has been set to 60 basal area by the State of New Mexico Forestry and the Federal Government, as providing the best final density for forest health, disease resistance and wildfire hazard abatement.  Since the government is providing the subsidy for this thinning, they are requiring that the private property owner meet this standard when accepting assistance. To reach 60 basal area, one could either choose to remove a lot of little trees, giving the larger trees more natural resources to survive, or one could choose to keep a lot of the little trees and take the big trees.  Generally, we would recommend removing the smaller weaker under brush and ladder fuels and giving your larger, more successful, trees room to breath. 

I love the tree(s) off my deck; will it (they) have to be cut in order that I qualify for this grant?

No, though if you have an initial tree density of greater than 60 basal area, some of them may have to go.  But if you have a favorite tree close to your structures, it is the ladder fuel under them that is the target of this thinning.  Individually, no single large tree (whether alive or dead) is a fire hazard to your structures.  Of more concern in regard to wildfire, is ladder fuel that can bring fire up off the ground into the foliage of that favorite tree off your deck, or other taller trees in contiguous contact with each other’s crowns that can bring a crown fire, uninterrupted to your deck.  If the ladder fuels are removed and trees are pruned, and the crowns of your favorite trees are well spaced, these trees pose a reduced threat.  (The leaves they shed, if left uncollected, are the greater fire hazard to your deck.)  Further, this understanding works for a snag as well; an isolated snag, even in close proximity to a structure is not a wildfire hazard. (Snag = standing dead tree)

But ultimately, special trees, whether large or small, need not be cut so long as the final thinning density of 60 basal area is achieved.   If you have trees that you wish to see preserved, we recommend you tie marking tape around the tree, and speak directly to the contractor to make clear which you wish to keep. 

In fact, I have several standing dead trees that may be difficult to remove because of their size and close proximity to power lines and structures on my property.  I’m mostly interested in having these ‘hazard’ trees removed and not so concerned about reducing fuels.  Can you make sure these trees are removed for me?

Not necessarily, as stated above, no individual tree (whether dead or alive) is in itself a fire hazard to your structures and property.  From the impartial observer’s shoes, it would be of less effort and cost to remove ladder fuels and smaller trees from close proximity to your ‘hazard’ trees, but we understand that this is not the preferred solution of the property owner.  In fact, this is not a question of excessive fuels but of aesthetics and whether or not some windy spring night, the whole thing may fall into the house.  Further, we recognized that these types of ‘hazard’ trees can be very expensive to remove as they may require that they be taken down one section at a time, with someone up in that tree with a chain saw.  The grant’s purpose, as stated above, is to reduce fuel loading on private property in order to reduce fire hazard, not to remove ‘hazard’ trees. 

Having established this, if there are standing dead trees that require no additional care or cost to remove, then the grant will subsidize their removal, and their removal counts toward the reduction of basal area on your property.  If, however, they require special handling and risk for the contractor to remove, the property owner can negotiate separately with the contractor for their removal, as the property owner wishes.

I have some old slash piles that I haven’t quite managed to get rid of yet.  Will the grant pay for the contractors to chip or haul this away for me?

No.  Old slash piles normally contain rocks and contractors will not agree under most any circumstance to chip old piles and run the risk ruining their equipment needlessly.  Contractors can be negotiated with to haul away your old slash piles, for a price.  (Dealing with tangled old slash is extremely unpleasant.)  Why won’t the grant subsidize this?  Because, once on the ground and partially decomposed, these old slash piles are of minimum fire hazard and do not contribute substantially to fuel loading.  Contractors are required to deal only with the slash they create, and not old slash created by the property owner.

Well, I’ve been contacted by GEJWUIC to find out if I’m still interested in having my property thinned, and it is not convenient for me at this time to make arrangements with GEJWUIC for thinning.  GEJWUIC will call me back in a couple of weeks to see if it is a more convenient time for me, right?

Maybe, but that may have been your one and only chance.  We have more requests for assistance than money to hand out.  Each applicant has been given a priority ranking, based upon when we received the request and some initial information in the application.  So when you are called asking if you are still interested and can’t find the time, money or energy now to deal with this process, we will be calling the next individuals in line to see if they can.  We understand fully that you may not be able to commit to the first date and time preference of the GEJWUIC inspector, but asking us to wait several months (for whatever reason) or standing us up, may or may not get you a follow up phone call.  We will try to get back with you, but we would rather see the grant money spent on the willing, rather than save it in the hope that the postponers will get back with us.  Please realize that GEJWUIC is being run by volunteers that are taking time, effort and some of the cost upon ourselves to arrange an appointment with you to see your property, make a pre inspection, and give you an estimate of the cost to you. (They have their own lives too and are not being paid, at this time, to give up every Saturday in the foreseeable future for your convenience).

What will the thinning cost me if I go with GEJWUIC?

The contracted rates for the current thinning are listed on our "Price Rates' document.  This document can be found on our "Documents" page.

Why do I have to pay the 30% cost, up front?

The GEJWUIC, at this time, is in a fledging stage of development and has NO reserves of cash that it is able to cover bounced checks or good intensions.  Once the thinning has been successfully accomplished, the thinning contractor deserves to be paid for their services as soon as possible.  GEJWUIC has no reserves to cover any property owner’s 30% cash match and therefore requires this payment up front.  Further, we believe it is in the best interest of all of us, if the property owner is confident enough about proceeding with the thinning on their property, that they are willing to write this check.

What if I change my mind about thinning my property at the last minute?

GEJWUIC will be happy to cancel the contract and reimburse you your entire 30% matching fee at anytime before the day the contractor arrives on your door step ready to begin work.   However, once the contractor arrives to do the work or cuts even one tree, then that contractor will be reimbursed for his time and effort on your behalf and your 30% down payment will be used to do this.

What is this $30.00 ‘Handling Fee’?

Because GEJWUIC has been newly formed, the corporation has very minimal reserves of cash.  This $30.00 fee is one way to help the corporation improve its cash flow issues and continue into the future with better financial health and develop other possibilities for wildfire hazard abatement in the Jemez Corridor. And possibly, begin to reimburse current volunteers for the time and effort in the pre-evaluation process and follow through.