Town hall discusses tree compensation and reforestation

Topics such as hazardous tree removal, reforestation efforts and their compensation, free firewood and new outreach efforts were discussed at the Hermit Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Office town hall meeting on Dec. 13.

The town hall meeting was originally scheduled to be held in the Mora High School Lecture Hall, but due to the snowstorm, the town hall meeting was held via Zoom.

Angela Gladwell, director of the Hermit Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Office, said a new outreach effort has been launched to help ensure those affected by the fires receive the assistance they deserve. The effort involves a briefing campaign sponsored by New Mexico, FEMA and the Office of Claims.

Gladwell said that starting Dec. 13, those who applied for FEMA assistance following the Hermit Peak/Calf Canyon fire and subsequent flooding and who have not yet filed a claim with the claims office may receive a text message asking if they have Interested in receiving more information about the claims office or other recovery resources.

Gladwell said the briefing will come from the claims office. The text will ask the individual to select from a list of options the option that best describes their situation.

Gravel said each reply will receive a confirmation text message. She added that those with landlines or cell phone numbers that are not on file with FEMA can call the Claims Office Hotline at 505-995-7133 or the Disaster Case Management Line at 505-670-4662 to learn more about the outreach efforts .

Additionally, those who have received a text message and suspect it did not come from the claims office are asked to call a helpline to verify the source of the text message.

Ashley Saulcy, state recovery officer for the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, sat next to Gladwell in the Mora claims office during the Zoom meeting. Solsi helped facilitate discussions about clearing dangerous trees, accessing firewood and reforestation.

Our focus is on coordinating the many federal, state and local entities providing assistance for recovery, Souci said. Our goal is to identify local needs and coordinate resources to meet those needs.

Souci introduced John Romero, director of the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s Highway Operations Support Division. Romero said NMDOT has been working to help remove hazardous trees that could impact properties.

Romero describes hazardous trees as trees that have been damaged, burned or dead. He said the tree could fall on something important such as a road, a driveway to someone’s property, a house or an area that once had houses but is now considered a redevelopment area.

“We’ve been helping remove Class A and Class B debris,” Romero said. It’s basically emergency debris removal.

Romero also described what happens to the wood after trees are cut down. When it comes to trees impacting the right-of-way, their wood is chipped and placed on steep slopes to help further repair future erosion, he said.

Romero said wood from trees on private property can be made available to the owner and if he or she doesn’t want it, it will be removed, blocked and divided.

Kenneth Branch, assistant state conservationist for the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, said NRCS also removes trees, but unlike DOT, its focus is on removing hazardous trees that pose a threat to humans. Branch said NRCS has worked with several homeowners to remove trees that pose a threat to life and property.

Branch said NRCS does this through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program. For more information about hazardous tree removal, please contact the NRCS San Miguel office at 505-425-3594 extension 3. In Mora, contact NRCS at 575-387-2424 extension 3. You can also contact NRCS via email: conservationrestorationplanplan@usda.gov.

Shawn Sanchez, forest supervisor for the Santa Fe National Forest, noted that fuelwood can be recycled by the public and that fuelwood permits are available for free. Firewood permits are available at the Las Vegas Rangers District Office, 1926 7th Street, Las Vegas; the Pecos District Office (32 S. Main St.) or the Mora County Courthouse (1 Mora Courthouse Drive). Free fuel permits are only available at the Mora County Courthouse on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Sanchez said for more information about free firewood permits, call the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District office: 505-425-3534. He said the office is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Another way to get free firewood is through Neighbors Helping Neighbors, Sanchez said. The scheme is for people experiencing some kind of disadvantage and people are encouraged to contact the agency to discuss their circumstances and options.

You can contact Neighbors Helping Neighbors at 505-429-2062.

Tyler Orton, policy director for the Claims Office, discusses three ways claimants can be compensated for reforestation work on their properties. One way is through the NRCS, which involves property assessment. Another option is to file a loss claim with the HPCC Claims Office.

“We can use mapping tools to see the severity of the burn on your property and provide compensation directly to you,” Orton said of seeking reforestation compensation through the claims office rather than through the NRCS.

A third way to obtain compensation for reforestation is through private companies.

Whatever path you take, Orton said, work closely with them to make sure each plan is fair.

More than 30 people participated in the Zoom meeting, where claims office staff answered multiple questions. One woman expressed frustration with what she said was repeated requests for the same documents from the claims office.

What if I have provided documents but are asked to provide them again? she asked. Why is the paperwork asked to be redone multiple times? Why couldn’t the claims office tell us what was needed in the first place?

Gravel said the man made an important point.

“From my perspective, I’ll be honest with you,” Gladwell said. I’m not happy with the burden of document requirements today. We are actively working to simplify these requirements and make it clear to you up front what these documents require.

Gladwell said the claims office is compiling a list of documents it can provide to claimants so they know what to expect.

‘We know we can do better in this area and are actively working to make changes,’ Gladwell said.

“I’m committed to doing that,” Gladwell added.

At a Dec. 15 Office of Claims press conference at the Santa Fe office, Gladwell noted that FEMA has received claims documents totaling $341 million. Of that amount, nearly $251 million has been paid, meaning 73% of recorded claims have been paid.

Congress approved $4 billion through the Hermit Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Assistance Act to help the community recover, of which the claims office estimates $1 billion to $1.5 billion will be used for reforestation.

Gladwell noted at the Dec. 15 meeting that all three claims offices will be open this holiday season. Claims offices in Las Vegas, Mora and Santa Fe will be open during regular hours except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

The Las Vegas Claims Office is located at Mills Plaza, 216 Mills Ave. Hours of operation are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 7:30 am to 5 pm; Tuesday from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm; Saturday from 9 am to noon.

The Mora Claims Office is located at the Mora County Complex, 10 Courthouse Drive. Hours of operation are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 7:40 am to 5 pm; Tuesday 7:30 am to 7:30 pm; Saturday 9 am to noon.

The Santa Fe Claims Office is located at 1711 Lla ​​St., Suite E, open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.