A Community Perspective

By Will Bullington, CACM
CC&R Compliance Officer

August 2010

Bark Beetles, High Weeds and Abandoned Properties

Have you noticed that the bark beetles are active in Lake Shastina? We are experiencing groups of trees being infected in various parts of our community and, while we are in no way at an epidemic level, we have noticed an increase in their activity. This continues to be a statewide program and much of what I am writing I learned from an article written by a compliance officer for the Pine Mountain Lakes Home Owner’s Association outside of Yosemite.

There are over 20 invasive species of bark beetles and the and the most prevalent is the engraver beetle which goes after the tops of pine trees and the red turpentine beetle attacks the lower portion of the trunk. Bark beetles have a keen sense to recognize trees that are stressed or weakened in some fashion. Recent years of drought have created stress in many trees. A lack of water adds to a trees inability to produce pitch to stop the beetles. Trees compete for water from shrubs, new ornamental trees for landscaping and of course the Juniper tree drinks up to 150 gallons of water a day!

What can you do? Thin out competing vegetation that is fighting for sunlight and water. Prune and removing dead limbs increases a trees health too. There is some chemical control available to prevent the beetles and I would advise visiting www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7421.html for further information. Needless to say a dead 50 to 100 foot pine tree is a threat to life and property. It is your responsibility to prevent such trees from falling down in a good wind storm. Act quickly to cut down and remove the infected tree and all its limbs and wood.

The other area of concern for fire danger is the extremely high weeds due to the late winter and spring storms. Many of these weeds are seen on properties that are abandoned and “waiting” to be taken over by a bank and sold. Sometimes this happens very quickly but most times the bank does not want the property in their bad debt inventory and the property will sit with the water shut off (yep, they don’t pay their water bill too) and the landscaping dies.

It can be very aggravating for a homeowner that lives here and maintains their own property to look next door at a lot full of weeds. We are working with real estate agents and the Board to address these issues. The Board will send a 30 day courtesy notice and then after that must schedule a hearing with the owner. The Board may rule to hire a contractor to go in and abate the nuisance and charge owner. If it is bank owned and there are already numerous liens for taxes, bad credit and home owner’s dues it may not be a good business decision to do this. Each property has to be researched and then weighed as to what is best for the community. Sometimes the property is listed with a real estate agent and a simple phone call will get the weeds mowed down, the water turned back on and the property made more presentable. (Why we need to explain curb appeal to real estate agents floors me). It seems the further away from Lake Shastina the agent is the less concerned they are for how a property looks. “Looks good from where I’m at….”

Just for information our own fire fuel abatement program of mowing unimproved lots is on hold due to the high fire danger. We do not want the mowers to send a spark and start a fire so all tractor work by LSPOA will have to wait for the fall weather to begin.

(Editor's note; "curb appeal" is a basic concept every Realtor knows, what may not be appreciated is that an owner who is upside down on the home has no motivation whatever to take care of it any more. Agents hate brown lawns as much as neighbors do and we realize more than you might expect what that does to value.

I also do not believe that if an agent's office is out of town they are more likely to ignore the condition of a property. If an agent specializes in REO's for example which are homes repossessed by lenders the banks are even less motivated than an upside down owner. We are struggling with an REO sale right now because the bank won't pay overdue LSPOA dues so we can turn the water on just to inspect the home, not to mention green up the lawn and mow the weeds!

In our property management business we have cajoled owner after owner into spending money on bark, mowing, and watering, all for "curb appeal" __ to attract tenants who in turn are required to maintain landscaping in their lease. Most property managers do this very same thing as well, it's just good business.

We will continue to work with the LSPOA in an effort to make our properties strong and attractive members of the Lake Shastina community.)