Residents of local communities are encouraged to keep their neighborhoods safe from wildfires by participating in "Junk the Junipers," 8 a.m.-1 p.m., May 21. University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, in partnership with the Nevada Division of Forestry, Bureau of Land Management and Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, urge residents to bring their junipers, pines, rabbitbrush, sagebrush and other woody vegetation to one of two locations to be chipped for free. Participants will receive a coupon from Moana Nursery for 20 percent off a "good plant choice," Moana-grown replacement shrub.

Residents can bring their woody vegetation to the Nevada Division of Forestry office, 885 Eastlake Blvd. in Washoe Valley, or to the lot adjacent to the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District's Silver Lake Volunteer Fire Station, 11525 Red Rock Road in Silver Lake.

Junk the Junipers is a Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month event, and promotes the month's message, "Create Unity, Fire-Adapt Your Community!" The event is sponsored by the Silver Lake Volunteer Fire Department, Bureau of Land Management, Moana Nursery, Nevada Division of Forestry, Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District and University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.

"Though ornamental junipers can often be a good plant choice for Nevada's climate and soils, they are highly flammable, and their presence in a landscape is a major factor in whether or not a home will survive a wildfire," said Ed Smith, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension natural resources specialist and Living With Fire program director. "A good way to prepare your home for wildfire is to get rid of junipers that are within 30 feet of your home and bring them to be chipped."

Vegetation chipped at the event will be used as mulch in various locations. Materials that will not be accepted for chipping are: construction lumber, hazardous materials, lawn clippings, sod, dirt-infested vegetation and tree stumps or limbs greater than 8 inches in diameter.

Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month is a collaborative effort of local, state and federal firefighting agencies; University of Nevada Cooperative Extension; and many others. Events and activities are being held across the state. For more information on Junk the Junipers, contact Sonya Sistare at sistares@unce.unr.edu or 775-336-0271. To learn more about Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month activities, visit www.LivingWithFire.info.