The rainy season is done and summer is here. Which means: time to weed whack along the roads for wildfire safety!
And, this year, we need your help.
North Aldercroft Association typically spends about $8,000 from the community road budget to cover the cost of clearing the weeds along the roads. But this year we've spent about $51,000 to clear the material from the Locust landslide and will be spending another $13,000 or so to dig out the slide area.
What simpler way to save our community some much-needed money by doing the simple act of weed-whacking ourselves.
New Wildfire Guidelines Require 10ft. Horizontal Clearance Along Roads
Not only does it just look better, but clearing vegetation along the road is a necessary part of our community's wildfire defense.
The guidelines around homes and roads have been substantially tightened based on research since the 2021 Camp Fire. Roads now require 10 feet of horizontal clearance and 14 feet of vertical clearance on either side of the road. This means most weeds, bushes, shrubs, flowers, landscaping, small trees (less than 8 inches in diameter) within 10 feet of the road. Trees larger than 8 inches in diameter should be limbed up to 14 feet.
We can't fully meet this standard in Aldercroft Heights: notably we have homes within 10 feet of the road and steep hillsides prone to landslides if we remove all vegetation. However, this is what the latest research says will give us the best chance of evacuating safely when a wildfire eventually comes to our community.
We can't move our houses or regrade the entire mountain, but we can do simple things like removing vegetation right against the roads and clearing any leaf litter building up along the fences. So let's do everything we can to get as close to the standard as is possible.
Volunteer for NAA Road Vegetation Management Days
There's a lot to be done and, as is usually the case in the mountains, it's up to us to do it ourselves.
NAA is organizing two volunteer vegetation clearance days to handle smaller things like weeds, limbing trees, etc.
Our community FireWise council is collaborating with San Jose Water, FireSafe, CalFire, and other organizations to secure grants for larger-scale vegetation management.
How To Volunteer
Dates:
Saturday 6/8, 10-2pm: Weed Whacking (experience preferred)
Sunday 6/9, 10-2pm: Tree limbing, chipping, and clean-up (Limbing and chipping require experienced people)
We are looking to recruit 10-12 volunteers. We already have 6 volunteers, so we are on our way to our goal. The more, the better! Family members, friends, and guests are welcome.
If you are interested and available to help, please email bookkeeper.naa@gmail.com and include the following information:
Subject: I'm In!
Names/contact info for those who will be coming
Availability: Saturday only, Sunday only, or Saturday and Sunday
Tools you can bring or contribute for the day if you are not available to work (e.g., Weed whacker, chainsaw, pole tree pruner, loppers, pruning shears, green bins, signage, leaf blower, etc.)
Questions, comments, or concerns
By working together, we can create a safer environment and significantly reduce the wildfire risk for our entire community. Let's take this proactive step now to protect our homes and loved ones.