Summit County Chipping Program

You can protect your home from wildfire with help from the Summit County Chipping Program. Summit County government helps residents and property owners create defensible space by providing free chipping and disposal for branches, logs and small trees. If you clear woody vegetation from around your home and stack it in a slash pile, we’ll chip it and haul it away at no cost.

When it comes to wildfire, it takes everyone to protect everyone.    
Example of a good slash pile for chipping program

Pile Guidelines


Piles must be stacked by 8 a.m. on the Monday of your neighborhood's designated chipping week (see schedule below). Chipping and collection will take place Monday through Friday of your neighborhood's designated week. Improperly stacked piles, and any piles stacked after 8 a.m. on Monday, may not be identified or collected.
  • 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.
  • Maximum pile size is 5' wide x 5' high x 10' long. Each household may put out a maximum of 10 piles. 
  • After crews have removed your pile, clear away any remaining branches, needles and debris.
  • Do not combine piles with neighbors' piles or place piles in other neighborhoods.

Materials Guidelines


Accepted materials include trees, logs and branches up to 12 inches in diameter, free of nails and wire. The following restrictions apply:
  • No willows or cottonwood: Willows and cottonwood have high moisture content, so they help to slow the spread of fire.  They also clog chipping equipment because they are very fibrous. 
  • No construction or building materials, treated lumber, fence posts or signs.
  • No shrubs, rood wads, stumps, dirt or rocks. These items clog and damage chipping equipment.
  • No grass clippings, trash, weeds or bags of leaves.

2019 Chipping Schedule

Each neighborhood in Summit County has one designated week, listed below, during which households may set out piles of trees and branches for chipping and removal. Or view an interactive map of the 2019 chipping schedule, where you can enter your address to find your neighborhood's chipping week.

Week 1: June 17–21
Downtown Silverthorne (west of Hwy. 9), Mesa Cortina, Wildernest

Week 2: June 24–28
Willowbrook, Willow Creek Highlands, Ruby Ranch

Week 3: July 1–5
Summit Sky Ranch, Eagles Nest, Three Peaks

Week 4: July 8–12
Sage Creek Canyon, South Forty, Hamilton Creek, Angler Mountain Ranch, Ponds at Blue River, Blue River Run

Week 5: July 15–19
Silverthorne (east of Hwy. 9), Ptarmigan, Dillon Valley, Town of Dillon, Corinthian Hill

Week 6: July 22–26
Highlands, Summit Estates, Gilrose, Swan River Valley

Week 7: July 29 – August 2
Airport Road, Peak 7

Week 8: August 5–9
Peak 8, Peak 9, Town of Breckenridge, Western Sky Ranch, Moonstone

Week 9: August 12–16
Warrior’s Mark, Spruce Valley Road (The Crown), Spruce Valley Ranch

Week 10: August 19–23
Boreas, Baldy

Week 11: August 26–30
Farmer’s Korner, Gold Hill, Highland Meadows, Tenmile Vista, Silver Shekel

Week 12: September 2–6
Summerwood, Summit Cove, Keystone, Montezuma

Week 13: September 9-13
Frisco, Copper Mountain

Week 14: September 16-20
Town of Blue River

Week 15: September 23-27
Tordal Estates to Quandary

Week 16: September 30 – October 4
All properties north of Summit Sky Ranch

Please note that the schedule is subject to slight modifications in order to redirect crews to other locations based on volumes of materials set out in each neighborhood.

Chipping crew loading slash into a chipper

Example of a "Good Pile"

Example of a good slash pile for chipping program

Example of a "Bad Pile"

Example of a bad slash pile for chipping program

2018 Chipping Program Results


A total of 2,646 local households participated in the 2018 Chipping Program, and chipping crews removed 12,015 slash piles, making significant progress toward our community’s wildfire protection goals. Approximately 4,420 cubic yards of chips were hauled to Climax Molybdenum Mine for reclamation efforts.

Contact

 
For more information on the Summit County Chipping Program, call or email Dan Schroder, (970) 668-4140.


Colorado State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Summit County cooperating. Extension programs available to all without discrimination.