Wildfire Partners launches countywide community chipping program

NEWS RELEASE
BOULDER COUNTY
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Boulder County is taking a significant leap forward in its commitment to community safety and environmental stewardship by launching a countywide Wildfire Partners Community Chipping Program.

The program will support all county residents with managing the high-risk vegetation on their properties, fostering a safer, cleaner, and more fire-resilient environment for all.

Boulder County recognizes the pressing need for proactive measures to reduce wildfire risk. The county chipping program will offer free chipping services to all residents, allowing them to dispose of slash — green branches, and brush — in a safe and sustainable manner. This helps create defensible space around properties, reducing the potential for fire to spread.

“The key to effective mitigation is regular maintenance. The new county-wide chipping program will help residents dispose of the hazardous fuels they are removing from their properties as part of their annual clean-up efforts. Maintaining healthy forests and grasslands helps us to capture carbon emissions, while uncontrolled fire and desertified soils can have the opposite effect,” said Ashley Stolzmann, Boulder County commissioner. “The county has had a chipping program since 1993, but this new program will dramatically increase the services we provide thanks to funding from the new wildfire mitigation sales tax.”

In collaboration with local fire districts and approved chipping contractors, the county chipping program fosters community engagement and public awareness about wildfire prevention. This program also emphasizes collaboration among neighbors to establish neighborhood chipping events, where groups of five or more homeowners will work together to complete the chipping event in their community.

“This program will empower residents to take an active role in protecting their homes and communities from wildfire threats. By providing free access to professional chipping services, the program offers a convenient solution to reduce the accumulation of hazardous fuels,” said chief Bret Gibson with the Four Mile Fire Protection District.

Learn more and apply

A minimum of five participating neighbors is required to host a community chipping event. At each community event, a County approved chipping contractor will provide the chipping services and haul the chips to a partnering donation site. Learn more about the chipping program eligibility criteria, application and scheduling process here.

About Wildfire Partners

Wildfire Partners is a nationally recognized Boulder County program designed to help residents prepare for wildfires. Technical and financial assistance is available to residents of the county through custom wildfire mitigation assessments, grant funding, educational programs, community events, and a free chipping program.

For more information, contact Zack Bertges, Wildfire Partners Chipping Coordinator, at 303-678-6168 or [email protected].

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