Brush Pick-Up Resumes in Pine and Strawberry

  After a three month break in service, brush pick-up for Pine and Strawberry has started up again.   The brush pick-up program, which is grant driven, ran out of funding this past July and so Pine Strawberry Fire District was forced to put the program on hold until the new grant they were awarded was actually funded.  The current funding will allow the Fire District to continue the brush removal program until the end of January 2013. For the program to work effectively both communities have been divided into eight zones. Pine and Strawberry each contain four zones.  

  The brush pickup crews will begin in one community zone and work there until that zone is completed, then move to the other community and work through that zone until it is completed.  In this manner the crews will be able to work with both communities on an equal basis. This is a self help program that benefits the District and the citizens as a whole.  It allows community members to work on their property removing brush and other vegetation that would support a fire near their or their neighbor’s home. 

  We request that all property owners keep track of amount of time, acreage and expenses it took to clear their property.  This information should be submitted on a Community Work Sheet which can be obtained from the Pine-Strawberry Fire District web site at: www.pine-strawberryfire.com or at Stations 41 in Pine and 42 in Strawberry.

  For brush pickup please place branches, small rounds (nothing longer than 8 feet in length & larger than 6 inches in diameter), pine needles and bags of leaves beside the road.  Leaves and pine cones must be bagged, needles can be piled.  Please do not put trash, garbage or lumber with your brush. Due to time constraints we are not able to sort these items from your brush pile and will not make the pickup from your property if these items are present.  This service is for residential property owners only.  We do not haul for commercial tree trimmers and landscapers.

  Please fill out the Community Worksheet and send it in to the P/S Fire District, P.O. Box 441, Pine, AZ 85544 or drop it by the station.  This worksheet is an integral part of the government grant that funds the Fuels Reduction Program.  If you can, please photograph before and after your cleanup and submit photos to PSFD.  This would be appreciated even if you don’t use the brush pick-up program.  These photos with a description of your lot size can be used to help us support the Fuel Reduction Program. Thank you for your patience and for your help with these important programs. 

Fuels Treatments in Pine Creek Canyon

The Fire Department and AZ State Forestry have combined to provide assistance and resources to help remove hazardous fuels/vegitation throughout Pine Creek Canyon - review the map - HERE

       Find Out what services we can provide - click here

• Remove brush, weeds, dry grass, needles,
  leaves and any other flammable vegetation
  within 30 feet of any structure (or to
  property line).
• Additional clearance up to 100 feet (or to
  property line) may be needed to protect
  homes near brush fields and/or wooded
  areas.
  
• Maintain trees, shrubs or bushes adjacent
  to or overhanging any structure clear of
  dead limbs.
  
• Prune trees so that no limb is within 10 feet
  of any chimney opening. A 1/2 inch
  maximum mesh screen is required for all
  chimney outlets.
• Maintain roof, gutters and deck surfaces
  free of leaves, needles, twigs and any
  combustible materials.
  
• All brush, weeds, grass and hazardous
  vegetation within 10 feet of any road.
  
• Clear all vegetation, trash or other
  combustible material a minimum of 10 feet
  from propane tanks or containers.
  
• Remove all cut vegetation and combustible
  debris and dispose of it in a legal and safe
  manner.

              EXAMPLE OF BEFORE                             AND AFTER

Billy Brushwacker was created by the Pine-Strwberry Fire Deparmtent in Arizona for children ages 8-11. It is intended to teach children in the 8-11 age group about Wildfire Prevention principles. Fire education programs have been fundamental in educating our children about fire prevention and how to become more safety conscious. Making our communities safer from the threat of wildfire is an important fire safety message that requires changes in attitude and behavior. The Billy Brushwacker program is designed to meet Arizona Department of Education Standards and can be used by teachers as part of the required curriculum for science in Arizona.

Billy goats are useful in some communities working to reduce flammable vegetation by grazing and browsing. Thus, the goats are able to find food and the amount of wildland fuel available to burn is reduced by this activity.

Download the Billy Bushwacker Game - click on Billy