The Greater Lake Shastina Fire Safe Council will be sponsoring "Chipper Days" this spring. The following is a copy of the guidelines for participating. If you register for Chipper Days, a copy of this package will be provided to you. Please review the package and, if interested, follow the guidelines for registering and participating in the event. Please keep in mind:

1)    If you choose to participate, you must comply with all guidelines.

2) Spaces are limited due to time constraints. If you are willing to be on "standby" to be included if last minute slots become available, please indicate that.

3) Please be sure you want to be included and will be ready on the date scheduled. Last minute "drop outs" can (and will) affect the overall schedule and will impact other participants.

Chipper Days in Greater Lake Shastina, 2024

GUIDELINES

Background:

A Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) grant for approximately three days of chipping has been awarded jointly to the Greater Lake Shastina Fire Safe Council and the Fire Safe Council of Siskiyou County for wood chipping in the Greater Lake Shastina area. Initially we believe that we can do a maximum of 15 sites in three days. Tentatively the chipping will begin in early May, but will be conducted only when and if the Cal Fire “declared fire season” is not in force, and weather permitting. If the chipping is delayed due to the “declared fire season”, the chipping will be rescheduled when “the declared fire season” is done. Citizens accepted for this project will be notified of their acceptance prior to chipping. The chips will be deposited roadside on your property.

Guidelines:

The chipping will be free to residents within the Greater Lake Shastina Fire Safe Council area, but certain conditions must be met.

1)      Priority will be given to residents south of Palmer Drive. If not enough residents in that area sign up, and there are slots remaining, residents in other areas will be considered.

2)      Chipping will only be done at private properties that are accessible to the chipper (essentially roadside).

3)      Registration is by email to shastinafsc@gmail.com (include name, address, phone, email,) is required. You will be notified by the end of March if we have the time and resources to do your chipping.

Questions may be directed to Greater Lake Shastina Fire Safe Council at shastinafsc@gmail.com. Refer to the RAC grant Chipping Project.

4)      The Fire Safe Councils request that you keep track of the time that you spend cutting and dragging the slash. Time sheets will be provided to the accepted parties to record the time spent on their portion of the project, and will be collected at the time of chipping. Most “grant” projects require an accounting of time spent on a project.

5)      When limbing up, limb up a minimum of 6 feet above the ground, but don’t limb-up more than 1/3 of the tree’s height. If you live in an area that has restrictions on cutting or limbing trees, remember to comply with those regulations.

6)      Only tree limbs or trunks up to four (4) inches in diameter and can be handled by one individual will be chipped (no stumps, lumber, twigs, grass, loose leaves, loose needles or material containing nail, screws or other metal items). If debris other than limbs, trunks and native brush are in the piles, the chipper will pass by.

7)      Limbs or tree trunks must be placed with the large end towards the road, not piled more than two levels of limbs (higher piles take more time to separate and reduces productivity, spread the slash along your frontage), and place within ten (10) feet of the roadway’s edge. If necessary, pile additional limbs in a parallel row behind the first row of limbs. Keep the limbs and trunks to reasonable size to enable safe handling and feeding the chipper. High piles and over size material will be left.

a.       Branches must be stacked with all cut ends facing in the same direction (roadway). Piles not stacked in this manner cannot be chipped.

b.       Stacks must be entirely free of nails, wire, rocks, roots, stumps and root wads, mud, poison oak, scotch broom, and berry vines.

a.       Stacks must be placed adjacent to a roadway in an accessible area and situated so chipping equipment can be placed next to the cut ends of the branches. This expedites work and means more people can be served by the program.

8)      Limbing must be completed and the slash must be placed at the road edge, according to the following schedule:

·         Submit request for chipping before March 15. Notification of acceptance by April 1

·         If accepted for the chipping project, limbs to be on road edge by May 1.

·         Chipping will occur tentatively on or about May 6-10; exact date to be determined later.

9)      The chips will be blown onto the roadside.

Property Owners Responsibility

1.      Carefully review the guidelines.

2.       Go to shastinafsc@gmail.com to request chipping for your property by entering the term “Request Chipping”, your name, address, phone number, and email. Retain this “Guidelines” package for your reference.  Signing up implies that you agree to meet the guidelines.

3.       Once you’ve been notified that you will potentially get chipping service, limb trees and pull “slash” to the road edge based on the guidelines above and by dates specified in the guidelines for completion. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee that all approved sites can be chipped due to the limited funds, time constraints, and potential “declared fire season”. We will do our best.

4.       If you aren’t on the prime list for service but would be willing to take a chance that there would  be chipper time available, please so state. You’d have to be prepared for a last minute notification which may mean that if we don’t have time you’d have to dispose of your slash.

5.       If there are insufficient Lake Shastina CSD area signups, and slots remain, we will consider residences in other areas of the Greater Lake Shastina Fire Safe Council area. 

PLEASE RETAIN THIS “GUIDELINES” PACKAGE FOR YOUR REFERENCE