Chipping Program

The Conifer Wildland Division is emphasizing a science-based, neighborhood-focused approach to community wildfire protection. This allows us to maximize our impact by prioritizing mitigation strategies that reduce wildfire risk across entire planning units and landscapes, creating more fire-adapted communities.

We recognize the enormity of the task in our high-risk community and must allocate our limited resources strategically. This decision is also shaped by current budget uncertainties resulting from the delayed unification process.

To make the most of our resources, we are working with our partners to maximize effectiveness across the landscape, focusing on landscape-scale and roadside mitigation projects – critical efforts to prepare entire neighborhoods, evacuation routes, and improve overall wildfire resilience. At the same time, we will continue incorporating the chipping program for properties that have completed Wildfire Prepared assessments.

This tactical shift is designed to increase safety and improve the effectiveness of fire response efforts in our community.

While the chipping program has been and will remain a valuable tool, it is just one piece of the larger wildfire mitigation puzzle. Chipping alone cannot provide a sustainable solution to the complex challenges posed by wildfire risk.

Program Details for 2025

Here’s how the chipping program will operate this year:

• The Division will chip 100 homes that have completed a Wildfire Prepared assessment.
• These 100 homes will be selected through a lottery system.
• Those with wildfire prepared assessments will receive an email with a link to register.

We recognize that these changes might not be immediately embraced by everyone, and we empathize with your concerns; please take the time to read through this entire document to understand why this planning unit-focused approach is essential for improving wildfire resilience across our entire community.

What Can You Do If You Are Not One of those 100 Houses?

• Schedule a Wildfire Prepared assessment to receive guidance on creating defensible space. You can then do your own mitigation and/or hire a contractor to perform work. We will mark areas for you or your contractor to address during mitigation and chipping.
• Leverage available grants through the fire department to help cover mitigation and chipping costs.
• Utilize slash disposal programs in the area to remove debris.
• If you have large slash piles, reach out to us about the county pile burning permitting process on private lands.
• Organize a community chipping day with your neighbors and Community Ambassador.

Why a Neighborhood Approach?

This science-based strategy recognizes that wildfire doesn’t stop at property lines. Entire neighborhoods are at risk, and it will take a collective effort to protect our community.

But science alone isn’t enough. We also need a strong social component to our wildfire mitigation efforts. Here’s what that means:

• Neighborhood-wide Commitment: Mitigation efforts must become the norm, not the exception, across entire neighborhoods.
• Individual Responsibility: Homeowners must take proactive steps, including scheduling assessments, mitigating their properties, and using the resources available.
• Neighbor Collaboration: Working together as neighbors builds stronger defenses against wildfire.
• Support for Broader Efforts: Homeowners and neighborhoods must back landscape-scale and roadside mitigation projects that benefit the entire community.

A Shared Responsibility

Wildfire does not happen in isolation – it often threatens entire communities and can impact entire neighborhoods. Protecting our vulnerable community requires a united effort. To reduce risk and safeguard the people, places, and things we love, we need everyone to play their part. Together, we can build a safer, more resilient community.

Questions and Answers About the 2025 Chipping Program

Q: You chipped 400 houses last year. Why are you saying you can now only chip 100?
A: While we were proud to chip 400 homes last year, the program was incredibly resource-intensive and unsustainable for our crew. Our team has a broad range of responsibilities beyond chipping, including first-response wildfire suppression, managing our fuels sampling program, and conducting large-scale mitigation projects that protect entire neighborhoods and critical infrastructure. By reallocating some of our focus, we can dedicate more time and energy to these larger efforts, which have a greater impact on reducing wildfire risk across the entire community. 

Q: Why do I need a Wildfire Prepared assessment to qualify for chipping?
A: Wildfire Prepared assessments are a vital tool for identifying the most effective mitigation steps for your property and they provide a work plan for guiding the mitigation process. By requiring these assessments, we can prioritize homes that are actively working to reduce their wildfire risk and ensure the chipping program supports a broader, science-based strategy for community protection.

Q: Why are homes being selected through a lottery system?
A: The lottery system ensures a fair and transparent process for selecting the 100 homes that will receive chipping services this year. With limited resources, we needed to implement a system that provides equal opportunity for participation while focusing on homes that have completed Wildfire Prepared assessments and have obtained a Wildfire Prepared workplan to guide mitigation efforts.

Q: Why can’t you do both—chip 400 homes and focus on large-scale mitigation?
A: Unfortunately, our resources are limited, and we need to prioritize the strategies that will have the greatest overall impact on community safety. Strategic mitigation projects, such as roadside and landscape treatments, benefit entire neighborhoods and improve evacuation safety during wildfires. These efforts protect more people and property than chipping individual homes. While chipping is still a valuable tool, it must be balanced with other critical tasks to create a comprehensive approach to wildfire risk reduction.

Q: What if I’m not selected for the chipping program? What are my options?
A: If you’re not selected for the program, there are several ways you can still take action:

• Schedule a Wildfire Prepared assessment to receive guidance on mitigation.
• Hire a contractor for chipping or mitigation work. Our assessments include marking your defensible space to help contractors complete the work effectively.
• Apply for grants to help offset the costs of mitigation after you have received a Wildfire Prepared assessment.
• Use the Jefferson County SLASH program to dispose of vegetation and debris.
• Work with your neighbors and Community Ambassador to organize a neighborhood chipping day.

Q: Why is the focus shifting to neighborhood and landscape-scale mitigation?
A: Wildfire risk doesn’t stop at property lines—it affects entire neighborhoods and communities. Landscape-scale and roadside mitigation projects reduce wildfire intensity, improve firefighter safety, and create safer evacuation routes for residents. This approach has a far greater impact on overall community safety than simply chipping scattered properties with no larger landscape plan.

Q: How does this change benefit the community?
A: By reallocating resources to neighborhood and large-scale efforts, we can:

• Improve community-wide wildfire resilience.
• Prepare evacuation routes and critical infrastructure.
• Ensure our team is ready and available for wildfire response.
• Build a more sustainable mitigation program for the long term.

Q: How can I support this new approach?
A: You can support this strategy by:

• Scheduling a Wildfire Prepared assessment and following through on mitigation recommendations.
• Collaborating with neighbors to create fire-adapted neighborhoods.
• Participating in slash disposal or community chipping days.
• Supporting the Division’s landscape-scale and roadside mitigation efforts.

Q: Are you scaling back the chipping program permanently?
A: Not necessarily. This year’s changes are part of a shift to ensure our mitigation efforts are as impactful and sustainable as possible. We continually evaluate all programs each year, considering community needs, available resources, and overall effectiveness.

Q: Why can’t you just hire more people or get more funding to expand the program?
A: While additional funding and staffing would be ideal, it’s not something we can rely on right now. A November 2023 ballot initiative for a Mill Levy did not pass, and we are also navigating some budget uncertainties due to the delayed unification process. We’re doing our best to maximize our impact with the resources we currently have.

Q: How does roadside mitigation help protect my home?
A: Roadside mitigation plays a critical role in reducing wildfire risk. By clearing vegetation along roads, we improve evacuation routes and firefighter access. Roadways can act as firebreaks, slowing the spread of wildfire and helping to protect homes along these critical corridors.

Q: If chipping isn’t the solution, why was it a big part of last year’s program?
A: Chipping remains an important tool, and last year’s program helped raise awareness and provided an opportunity for homeowners to maintain mitigation work across the districts. Our evaluations showed that this popular program utilized a significant portion of our work force, and we know that to make a significant impact on wildfire risk, we need to focus more on large-scale, planning unit-wide efforts. This year’s program reflects these facts and aims for a more strategic and scientific use of our resources.

Q: Why are you relying on homeowners to do more mitigation themselves? Isn’t that the Division’s job?
A: Wildfire mitigation is a shared responsibility. While the Division plays a leadership role in community protection, they are not a mitigation or landscape company. Individual homeowners have a responsibility to reduce the risk on their properties. By working together—homeowners, neighbors, and the Division—we can create a safer, more resilient community.

Q: What is a Community Ambassador, and how can they help?
A: Community Ambassadors are local volunteers trained to support wildfire mitigation efforts in their neighborhoods. They help organize events, share information, and connect neighbors with resources. If you’re interested in becoming an Ambassador or connecting with one, let us know!

Q: What is the Wildfire Prepared assessment, and how do I get one?
A: A Wildfire Prepared assessment is an evaluation of your property’s wildfire risk, conducted by our trained specialists. During the assessment, we provide tailored recommendations to improve defensible space and reduce risk. You can schedule one by contacting the Conifer Wildland Division. See our website for more info: https://tinyurl.com/hfd5m7az

Q: How does neighborhood collaboration improve wildfire safety?
A: Wildfire doesn’t respect property lines—it spreads across landscapes and impacts entire neighborhoods. When neighbors work together on mitigation, they create a buffer that reduces fire intensity and spread, making the whole area safer for residents and firefighters.

Q: What happens if there’s a major wildfire this year? Will that impact mitigation efforts?
A: Wildfire response will always take priority for our Division. If a wildfire occurs, we may need to adjust our mitigation schedules and resources to address community safety and fire suppression. However, our mitigation efforts are designed to reduce wildfire intensity and improve safety for all residents, even during active fire seasons.

Q: How does pile burning work, and is it safe?
A: Pile burning involves safely burning large slash piles under specific conditions, such as when snow is on the ground to prevent the fire from spreading. It’s an efficient way to dispose of slash and reduce wildfire risk. Our team can guide you through the process to ensure it’s done safely, effectively, and legally.

Q: Are there other wildfire mitigation programs available to the community?
A: Yes. In addition to chipping, there are programs for slash disposal, grants to help with mitigation costs, and opportunities to participate in neighborhood-wide efforts. See the lists above. 

Please follow all guidelines and parameters, our crews work diligently and hard to serve as many of our community members as possible. Dealing with improper, hard to find, and hard to access piles take much needed time and effort out of the program. Thank you for your understanding, participation, and support.

• Piles must be stacked by 8 a.m. on the first scheduled chipping day (check your group assignment).
• Improperly stacked piles, and any piles stacked after 8 a.m, may not be identified or collected.
• Chipping will take place weekly Monday through Friday.
• Stack piles neatly (no bags), with the large ends of branches facing the road.
• Place piles within 5 feet of the roadway, but not touching the road or in drainage ditches.
• NO piles on or in driveways, piles must be on a roadway accessible to the crew and its equipment.
• Maximum pile size is 5 'x 5' x 5'. There is a 15-pile limit per address for each sign up period. Piles over the limit will not be chipped.
• Maximum acceptable material diameter is 10".
• Please no piles of tiny sticks and twigs (rakings), they cant be picked up and they jam our chipper.
• Do not combine piles with neighbors' piles or place piles in other neighborhoods.
• After crews have removed your pile, clear away any remaining branches, needles and debris.
• NO piles that have been created by any machinery.
• NO rotted/punky/burned material.
• NO rakings.
• Piles that have rocks, dirt/debris, trash, or root wads will NOT be chipped.

While we will do our best to stick with the outlined schedule above; however, the Chipping Program might be affected in ways that we can't currently predict.