Siberian Elm Tree Removal

The Board has initiated a project to remove elm trees from the right-of-way (ROW) along Paa-Ko streets. There is no consistent ROW distance in our community, although ten feet is most common. Utility and drainage ROW distances can extend from five feet to over 50. Our project removed elms within our community right-of-way and we hope residents will tackle removal of elms on their property as required by covenant. Siberian Elms (& Russian Olives) are non-native, highly invasive, and disallowed by covenants in both sections of Paa-Ko. This project was initiated when the county changed their “trimming/tree removal” support along their East Mountain ROWs.

BERNCO used to respond to requests for site-line thinning and hazardous tree removal but now consider those tasks the responsibility of homeowners. Siberian Elms are “water hogs” and definitely compete with our native trees. We encourage all residents to completely remove elms from their property. We have received our fourth grant from Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District to fund our last planned chipping event this November along the streets north of Moccasin Trail to Paa-Ko’s north end. You can include elm trees along with thinned and dead native tree material for this chipping event. More information
to follow.

The recent elm removal project resulted in ten dump truck loads of chipped elm debris being

taken out of our community in an effort to beautify Paa-Ko’s roadways. This project was a six-day event.

Spring is here and the native flora and fauna are active. Hummingbirds are migrating through - help them with energy for the trip.  It’s time to put out your feeders.  

Bears are also coming out searching for food.  They love to find hummingbird feeders as well as unsecured trash cans.  Please don't make it easy for them. A fed bear is a dead bear.

A healthy looking mountain lion has been spotted on the north end of Paa-Ko on Mudhead Ct.

Rattlesnakes and other snakes are out.  This time of year, they are usually sunning themselves on a rock or along the edge of the pavement. As it warms up they will enjoy being under a rock or vegetation and sometimes happily wrapped around the cool base of a planter on your porch.   Preferred hunting time is during the night (except for the coachwhip which likes the heat of the day). Keep your ears alert for rattles and always watch your step wherever you may be going.  Coachwhip snakes also like to climb trees. Attached is a photo taken of a red coachwhip in a tree at the golf course several years ago.  Go to READ MORE and then to DOCUMENTS to see it.

As always, be smart and stay alert.