Free Chipping Program

What is the Free Chipping Program?

SSFSC sponsors a free brush and wood chipping program twice a year, Spring and Fall. Its purpose is to encourage and support homeowners in creating and maintaining a defensible space around their homes. You cut the brush and trees and create your defensible space, then stack it along your driveway or access road, SSFSC schedules and sends professional crews to your home to turn them into chips. The chips are left on site for you to use as much or ground cover.

This is a FREE program from your South Skyline FireSafe Council.  A team of 4 bonded tree service professionals will be on-site doing this work.  You can help offset some of the cost of this service by donating.

For questions please contact Ed Hayes at edandcarolynhayes@gmail.com, John DeLong at johnmdelong@gmail.com,  or Monty Boyer at montyboyer@gmail.com

 

Application
Boundary Maps

Key Dates

Applications are now open for the Fall Chipping through 15 October.  Chipping will begin the last week of October.

How to Participate

Program Eligibility

  1. Your home must be within the SSFSC Boundaries
  2. Brush Piles must be stacked in accordance with the SSFSC checklist.
  3. Brush piles must be available for inspection one week prior to the start date of chipping.
  4. Chipping is available for existing homes only, no new construction nor commercial sites.

Chipping Prep

  1. Brush pile must be a minimum of 500 cubic feet (10x10x5) = About 15 minutes of chipping.
  2. Brush pile cannot be larger than 4000 cubic feet (60x12x6) = No more than 1 hour of chipping.
  3. No chipping will be performed for commercial sites, new land clearing, or vacant lots.

Chipping Do’s & Don’ts

Do’s

  • Create defensible space to about 100 feet from structures & 30 feet from access roads.
  • Cut ends must face the same direction and point out toward the chipper location.
  • Piles must be located on the uphill side of private roads, driveways, or lanes with good access.
  • Piles must be within 8 feet of the chipper location and 5 feet or less in height
  • Material to be chipped must be less than 8 inches in diameter.

Don’ts

  • Piles must be free of all roots, stumps, rocks and mud.
  • Piles must be free of poison oak, Scotch broom after it seeds, blackberry and vines.
  • Piles of leaves, pine needles or yard clippings cannot be chipped
  • Piles must be free of all non-vegetative materials (trash, metal, wire, etc).
  • SSFSC will not chip for: timber harvest projects, tree farms, new construction or vacant lots.

Funding

SSFSC uses community volunteers to organize and supervise the program which includes the advertising, inspection and onsite supervision of the crews. The crews are hired on a competitive basis and must have current contractor license and appropriate insurance. Generally, our costs run around $325 per hour. This makes scheduling and proper stacking of piles extremely important since we cover such a large area along Skyline Blvd.

The program is free thanks to donations from our customers and support through grants from the following organizations:

South Skyline
Association