It certainly is encouraging to see people taking the time and effort to make their home and land more fire-safe. We've seen a great deal of hard work of late, and sincerely appreciate the lengths to which some have gone to clear away the dead and dying trees, bushes and grass from their property. The more people clean their property, regardless of whether or not they have a home, the greater the chance that, should fire take hold on the mountain, firefighters will be able to protect the community.

For those who have not started to clean your property, it certainly is not too late. And, regardless of whether you own a house or vacant land on Palomar Mountain, the community needs your participation in protecting all of us against catastrophic wildfire. According to the San Diego County Consolidated Fire Code, we are asked to do the following:

• 1. Remove all dead and dying trees, brush and grass located within 30 feet of your home.
• 2. From 30 feet to 100 feet of your home, remove anything that is dead
• 3. Trim your trees to a height of at least 10 feet. If a tree's limbs overhang a road, trim those limbs to a height of at least 13 feet, 6 inches.

Specifically regarding trees: unfortunately, we must continue to pay close attention to any tree that shows signs of stress, such as browning limbs. Tree mortality continues, and trees under stress can die suddenly, leaving behind an extreme fire hazard.

Again, thank you for all your hard work. But don't stop now, we're beginning to make progress!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the PMVFD at palomarmtnfire@aol.com or 760 742-3701.

Thanks again, Karl Bauer, Fire Chief