No Cost chipping services for Amador County residents
The Amador Resource Conservation District (ARCD) is implementing a residential fuels, roadside chipping program to help encourage continued vegetation maintenance in the county. The ARCD will administer the chipping services program through a grant awarded by the California Fire Safe Council. This chipping program is open to all Amador County residents that first pile vegetative slash along roadsides or driveways, then submit a request for chipping service (see below, but please review all requirement first). Residents along key evacuation routes are especially encouraged to utilize this program. The ARCD will send an industrial chipper and crew to the site to process the roadside slash. The program will provide the community the ability to process vegetative debris.
All Chipping Requests will be served on a first come, first serve basis, with common areas of requests batched together. Priority for service is given to areas where multiple landowners submit requests in the same general area. This free residential fuels, roadside chipping program will be administered until the grant funds are exhausted, or October 2021, whichever comes first. With enough Amador County interest, the ARCD has made considerations for extending the program timeframe if grant funds are available.
If you have questions or would like help organizing and coordinating neighbors for roadside chipping please contact Vincent Campa (Vincent@AmadorRCD.org).
All Chipping Requests will be served on a first come, first serve basis, with common areas of requests batched together. Priority for service is given to areas where multiple landowners submit requests in the same general area. This free residential fuels, roadside chipping program will be administered until the grant funds are exhausted, or October 2021, whichever comes first. With enough Amador County interest, the ARCD has made considerations for extending the program timeframe if grant funds are available.
If you have questions or would like help organizing and coordinating neighbors for roadside chipping please contact Vincent Campa (Vincent@AmadorRCD.org).
READ all of the following
before submitting a Chipping request
The ARCD has received grant funds to provide chipping services for neighborhoods and individual homeowners in Amador County who are willing to work to make their property fire safe. Please read the instructions below before submitting your “Request for Chipping”.
- This program is only available to residents of Amador County.
- Program is limited to one visit per calendar year per address.
- Program is limited to four hours of chipping per address on one visit.
- This program is intended to help you create defensible space (minimum 100 feet or to property line) around your primary residence. The intention of the funding is not for clearing acreage or vacant parcels.
Please complete all of your work before submitting a request. Valuable chipping time and grant money is wasted responding to requests when the material is not ready. If your work is not complete when the chipper arrives it may be some time before it can return and the chipping time will be reduced.
Defensible SpaceCreate defensible space by clearing brush 100’ from buildings (or to property line) and 20′ from driveways. Please refer to the CAL FIRE pamphlet (click here to download a copy) for further guidance on creating defensible space.
Visit ReadyForWildfire.org for more information about crating and maintaining defensible space. SchedulingOur chipping service is known as a 'roadside' service. This means no specific time or date is given. Your piles should be complete and ready to chip when you submit this request. As long as program guidelines are met, there is no need for a resident to be home when piles are chipped.
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Image displaying 100 foot defensible space requirement. Visit ReadyForWildfire.org for more infromation
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Requirements
The following requirements must be met in order for us to chip at your location. We reserve the right to refuse chipping service if these requirements are not met.
- Chipping piles need to be stacked along a road or driveway frontages, which will allow the crew to work from the road or driveway.
- Piles must be placed within 5 feet of chipper access.
- Piles must be placed on level ground or on the uphill side of the road or driveway.
- Piles must be free of roots/stumps, rocks and mud, poison oak, scotch broom, and blackberries and other vines.
- Piles must be stacked with the cut ends facing the same direction, pointing towards access route to piles. Heaviest materials should be on the bottom, lightest material on the top.
- Piles must not be higher than 5 feet and no wider than 10 feet long. Multiple piles are allowed.
- Material can be up to 6 inches in diameter, and needs to be at least 3 feet in length and no longer than 10 feet. The longer the better for the crew - easier to feed through the chipper.
- All materials chipped will be blown back onto the property, or put in a pile where the brush was stacked.
- The Amador RCD will provide service on a first-come, first–served basis. We limit service to individual customers to no more than 4 hours per visit.
- The Amador RCD cannot clean up commercial properties, timber harvest projects, commercial projects, vacant lots, or marijuana grows.
- Click on the button below to submit your online chipping request. A confirmation email will be sent to you right away, and we'll schedule you as quickly as possible.
prohibited Items
The Amador RCD is not able to chip foreign materials/Non-Vegetative items/Lumber of any kind.
- Piles of Leaves, Pine Needles, or Yard Clippings
- Poison Oak
- Decaying Wood
- All Varieties of Broom
- Commercial Properties, Timber Harvest Projects, Commercial Projects or Vacant Lots
- Blackberries/Vines/Anything with Thorns
- Root Balls, Stumps, Dirt, or Twigs
Image: 10 foot long and 3 feet high roadside pile of woody debris being chipped by contractor.
Your piles should look like the one in the picture above. Improperly stacked or located piles may not be chipped.
Once you have completed the requirements listed above, fill out and submit the “Request for Chipping” below.
By submitting the Chipping Request you are acknowledging and certifying the following:
You have completed the requirements on the Chipper Program Page and agree to allow the Amador Resource Conservation District (ARCD) staff and private contractor admittance onto my property in order to access the pile for chipping. You understand that the material will be chipped back onto your property. You understand that the ARCD provides this service through contracts with private chipping companies. The contractor has final authority to determine if a pile is suitable for chipping. You understand that if the pile is not prepared per the checklist, it will not be chipped. ARCD provides the contractors with a preferred weekly schedule, but final decisions for scheduling of chipping are made by the contractor. In addition, you will comply with the chipping crews' decisions as to where chipped material is deposited because safety is their foremost concern. You will not make any attempt to load brush into the chipping machine. You understand that all work will be halted if this attempt is made. You understand that ARCD is not obligated to perform this service and that ARCD is not liable for its failure to perform this service or for the negligent performance of this service. The applicant agrees to hold harmless, indemnify, and to defend the ARCD and its employees from and against any and all claims for injury or damage arising from or connected with the work associated with this request, except for any such claim arising solely out of negligent acts or omissions attributable to the ARCD and its employees. It is understood that the duty to indemnify and hold harmless includes the duty to defend as set forth in Section 2778 of the California Civil Code.
You have completed the requirements on the Chipper Program Page and agree to allow the Amador Resource Conservation District (ARCD) staff and private contractor admittance onto my property in order to access the pile for chipping. You understand that the material will be chipped back onto your property. You understand that the ARCD provides this service through contracts with private chipping companies. The contractor has final authority to determine if a pile is suitable for chipping. You understand that if the pile is not prepared per the checklist, it will not be chipped. ARCD provides the contractors with a preferred weekly schedule, but final decisions for scheduling of chipping are made by the contractor. In addition, you will comply with the chipping crews' decisions as to where chipped material is deposited because safety is their foremost concern. You will not make any attempt to load brush into the chipping machine. You understand that all work will be halted if this attempt is made. You understand that ARCD is not obligated to perform this service and that ARCD is not liable for its failure to perform this service or for the negligent performance of this service. The applicant agrees to hold harmless, indemnify, and to defend the ARCD and its employees from and against any and all claims for injury or damage arising from or connected with the work associated with this request, except for any such claim arising solely out of negligent acts or omissions attributable to the ARCD and its employees. It is understood that the duty to indemnify and hold harmless includes the duty to defend as set forth in Section 2778 of the California Civil Code.
Another opprotunity for Assistance
Community Chipping Days
Amador RCD will be hosting 5 community chipping days through out Amador County in March-April 2021. Landowners will bring material to be chipped to local fire stations. This program is open to Amador County residents only. Visit the Community Chipping Day webpage for more information, click the link below.