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Polk 1 of 8 counties in western North Carolina in a cost-share program

POLK COUNTY—Polk County residents can receive help with some clean up of their yards and property and get reimbursed for 40 percent of the costs. 

Polk County is 1 of 8 counties in western North Carolina that is part of a Wildfire Mitigation Cost-Share program. 

The program is through the Mountain Valleys Resource Conservation and Development Council. 

The program is for residents to remove dead vegetation, to prune branches, thin trees and brush and to clean out gutters. 

Homeowners will have to apply online with their current home assessment and a contractor’s quote for the services, then sign an agreement and pay the contractor in full after the work is complete. Once the work is complete, homeowners can submit a proof of payment and receive a 40 percent reimbursement, according to county officials. 

North Carolina has more Wildland Urban Interface, where houses meet forested land, than any of the 48 contiguous states, according to research conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. North Carolina has more than 12 million acres that fall within this category. In 2016, western North Carolina had 62,000 acres of wildfires burn, which was more than the previous 50 years combined. 

For more information people can call 828-206-6159 or email wildfire@mountainvalleyrcd.org. 

A direct link to the cost share program can also be found at mountainvalleysrcd.org/forest.