To help landowners create defensible space around their homes, Chaffee Chips will coordinate free neighborhood slash removal and chipping services in seven geographic areas this year.

The countywide fire mitigation program reduces the threat of wildfire by helping homeowners remove potential fire fuels. Property owners in the service areas are asked to cut and clear brush and trees before the event and pile them at their curbs.

Since Chaffee Chips started in 2020, more than 400 landowners have created 1,400 piles of slash that were chipped on-site by the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) or hauled away by Chaffee County Fire Protection District firefighters. The 2023 service dates are:

• May 10: Chateau Chaparral
• May 17: Piñon Ridge Estates
• July 11-13: St Elmo & Alpine
• Sept. 19-21: Trail West Plus | CR 358A, 359, 362, 363, etc. 
• Oct. 3-5: Mount Harvard Estates | Riverside
• Oct. 11: Piñon Hills
• Oct. 17-19: Mesa Antero 

Landowners can get detailed information about how to treat their property by requesting a free assessment from a CSFS forester. Call 719-539-2579 to schedule an appointment. 

Chaffee Chips participants are required to register their slash piles on Envision Chaffee County’s Chaffee Chips webpage (https://envisionchaffeecounty.org/chaffee-chips/) for them to be picked up. A CSFS video is available there that explains what to do to effectively treat your Home Ignition Zone to prepare for a fire.

Property owners in lower-elevation piñon-juniper forests need to be aware of the Ips bark beetle infestation. To prevent spread, do not cut any green/live piñon branches or do whole tree removal during the beetle’s active periods from April to early October.

Chaffee Chips service locations are chosen by the Envision Forest Health Council, based on Treatment Priority Areas outlined in the Chaffee County Community Wildfire Protection Plan. The service is funded by Chaffee Common Ground and CSFS grants.

Chaffee County Fire Protection District has trailers available for all landowners who want to reduce the threat of wildfire on their property. Call 719-395-6545 and the district will drop off a trailer for you to fill with wood slash and then they return and haul it away. The cost is $50 for residents in the fire district and $75 for those located outside the district. Wood chips can be purchased at the Chaffee County Landfill for $20 per front-end loader scoop.

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Dan R

Danny “Dan R” Ridenour has been in radio and television broadcasting for over 40 years, starting as a senior in high school in Rogers, Arkansas. His radio career has had stops in Nashville, Memphis, Oklahoma, and eventually, Colorado. Dan enjoys being involved in the community, having been a member of the Upper Arkansas Service Club and is currently on the board of directors for the Salida Community Center and is a member of the Chaffee County Fair Committee. He and his wife Carrie spend their days doing everything the mountains have to offer: hiking, camping, fishing and skiing. They've raised 3 children and have 2 grandchildren.

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