If you live in the Cuyamaca mountain area in eastern San Diego County, then you understand that the threat of wildfires is very real. With fires becoming more common, it is important for you to take steps to protect your property. That is where the Sunrise Powerlink Grants Program can be helpful. If you live in an area located within the Sunrise Powerlink Fire Mitigation Group area, you might be eligible for a grant from a program that is funded by SDG&E. This is a program that has been specifically designed to assist homeowners in making their homes more resistant to the threats of fires. Learn more about this program below, and reach out to our team of professional arborists to learn more about how to protect your property.
What Is Defensible Space?
If you combine defensible space with home hardening, you can dramatically increase the ability of your home to survive a wildfire. Defensible space is a buffer that you create on your property between your building and flammable materials around it. A few examples of flammable materials include shrubs, grass, trees, and other foliage in the nearby area.
You need to create defensible space around your property to stop or slow the spread of a wildfire. This defensible space can also protect your home from catching fire. Radiant heat, direct flame contact, and fire from embers can cause your home to catch fire. If you create a defensible space, you increase the ability of your home to resist wildfires. In doing so, you also create a space for firefighters to work safely to defend your home against the flames.
What Work Does the Grant Cover?
You can use a grant from the Sunrise Powerlink Grants Program to increase the defensible space on your property. A few examples of ways you can use the grant to improve your property include:
- This grant can be used to reduce the vertical density of tree vegetation on your property. You can utilize our tree trimming services to thin out the leaves and branches in the defensible space around your home.
- The grant can be used to remove dead or dying vegetation that is otherwise vulnerable to fire. You can utilize our tree removal services to remove dead or dying trees in the defensible space around your home.
- You can also use the grant to reduce or remove overgrown bushes, shrubs, and other horizontal ground vegetation on your property. You can utilize our hedge and shrub trimming and pruning services to thin out the ground vegetation in the defensible space around your home.
You should take a well-rounded approach to create defensible space around your property.
What Does the Grant Not Cover?
You cannot use the grant to do any work on your property that does not increase the ability of your structure to resist flames. For example, if you want to improve the aesthetic landscaping and privacy of your house, you cannot use the grant to fund tree pruning or shaping services to unless you can prove that the upgrade increases the ability of your home to resist wildfires. If you have questions or concerns about how you can use the grant for tree services, just reach out to our team to learn more.
Eligible Locations and Applications
If you are interested in applying for a grant, you should follow this link to the application. There, you can take a look at a map of eligible areas. Eligibility for the program as outlined in black. Areas in green are eligible to apply and the Sunrise Powerlink itself is shown in blue. You can locate your property on the map and see if you are eligible to file an application. Eligible locations are determined by the vulnerability of specific areas to wildfires.
Schedule an Estimate Today
It is important for you to do everything you can to protect your property against the threat of wildfires. Because fires are becoming more common, it is important for you to harden your structure and increase your defensible space. That is where we can assist you. We are Pope Tree Service, and it would be our pleasure to help you apply for a Sunrise Powerlink grant to fund projects that can protect your house against the threat of wildfires. We have a tremendous amount of experience in this area, and we can leverage that experience to assist you. Contact us today for a free estimate at (619) 929-2667.