RGJ.com: Fire department wants residents to 'Junk the Juniper' /Trees are very combustible, could help reduce threat of wildland fires
Video: Protect your home from wildfire
KAREN SHERLOCK/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL
Area residents can exchange juniper shrubs for another shrub, plant or tree at two Moana Nursery locations.
Faced with budget constraints, the Sierra Fire Protection District and other local fire agencies are waging a door-to-door fire safety assessment campaign in high risk areas around the Truckee Meadows.
The Reno Fire Department is urging people to help reduce the threat of wildland fire near homes by taking part in this Sunday's "Junk the Juniper" event at Moana Nursery.
"The juniper has a combustibility that ... acts as a ladder fuel," said Capt. Bonnie Terry of the Reno Fire Prevention Bureau.
A ladder fuel starts low in shrubs, such as junipers, and climbs to higher levels, such as nearby trees, and eventually the adjacent homes, Terry said.
Bring in one juniper shrub or tree to either Moana Nursery location between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday at 1100 W. Moana Lane or 11301 S. Virginia St. and exchange it for another shrub, plant or tree.
This event is part of the Nevada Wildfire Awareness Week, which runs through Friday. It is an effort to modify ornamental landscaping around homes and buildings to help reduce the threat of a wildland fire destroying structures.
