Tree trimmers working along Genoa's Main Street

A squad of tree trimmers had the northbound lanes of Jacks Valley Road closed on Friday morning as they cleared branches out of power lines in Genoa.

Workers with Asplundah under contract with NV Energy have been clearing trees around Nevada’s oldest town as part of work to reduce fire danger.

At least four bucket trucks were parked along the truck as traffic was directed to take turns in the southbound lanes.

The town was included in a public safety outage watch on Wednesday that was cancelled after the company determined weather conditions wouldn’t be as severe as predicted.

The power company said it has increased the frequency of its vegetation management in extreme fire risk areas. Since 2020, more than 75,000 unhealthy or hazard trees in these areas have been trimmed or removed for safety.

Genoa is located in a high-risk area for fires because it is right next to forested lands.

“Federal and state agencies we work with often prefer to remove trees rather than heavily prune, as pruning can further stress the trees and invites more pests that can ultimately kill the trees,” according to the company. “Deciduous trees – those with leaves, not needles – can be pruned but require more frequent maintenance. These trees are still considered fire fuel if they are within or adjacent to the right-of-way, which is 10 feet from power lines.”

However, distances are determined by the size of the power line.

For 60 kilovolt or less lines, the company trims 15 feet on either side of outside conductors. For transmission voltages of 60 kilovolts or more the company clears 21 feet on either side of the outside conductors

“Ultimately, we aim to prevent growth from within the right-of-way as well as debris falling in from outside the right-of-way,” according to the company.

East Fork and Tahoe Douglas fire crews have been surveying and conducting work around the town in order to reduce the danger of a major fire.

It has been 114 years since the 1910 Genoa Fire burned down half the town, including its first building, the old Mormon Fort and the courthouse.