◆ Lincoln County Fuels Mitigation Coordinator Patty Pringle oversees program.
Wildfire season still is in full swing across much of the west. Even though we have had moisture over the last several weeks, it is critical to ensure your home and family are prepared.
The Chipper Days event is a collaborative effort of local, state and federal firefighting agencies; Lincoln County Emergency Management, the US Forest Service and other partners. This event is to encourage residents of the Alpine area in wildfire-prone areas to prepare their homes and properties for wildfire by removing vegetation around their house and off their property. We will have a chipper in the Shadow Dancer, Trail Ridge and Broken Wheel subdivisions on September 10 and in Lakeview, Rees and Aspen Ridge Trail on September 11th.
Residents living in high-risk wildfire areas who want to take action steps to increase their safety can pile vegetation up on the side of the road and it will get chipped on one of those two days. At this time AAWPC has limited resources and will only be chipping in these subdivisions on these two days. If you live outside of these subdivisions but would like to utilize the chipping resources, please call Patty Pringle and she will put you on a list and AAWPC could possibly come to your neighborhood next year.
Please only put out vegetation (tree and bush limbs and branches) that are no greater than 6 inches in diameter. We will not be able to collect grass clippings or leaf piles. Also, make sure that the vegetation that you are piling is not rotten or has root bases, those could damage the chipper.
Below are actions residents can take to reduce the risk of home and property becoming fuel for a wildfire:
• Rake and remove pine needles and dry leaves within a minimum of 3 to 5 feet of a home’s foundation. As time permits – continue up to a 30-foot distance around the home. Dispose of collected debris in appropriate trash receptacles.
• Collect downed tree limbs and broken branches. Remove ladder fuels (vegetation under trees) so a surface fire cannot reach the crowns. Prune trees up to six to 10 feet from the ground.
• Space trees to have a minimum of eighteen feet between crowns of mature overstory trees.
• Join forces with neighbors and pool your resources to volunteer on chipper day to remove the slash.
For more information on how to reduce the wildfire threat, visit www.firewise.org and www.wildlandfirersg.org or contact Patty Pringle, Lincoln County Fuels Mitigation Coordinator, ppringle@lcwy.org or 307-679-8574.
