Lake County Fire Safe Council Chipper Programs

How it works

The Lake County Fire Safe Council says chipper programs are currently offered in South Lake County and Hidden Valley Lake. It also says the Clear Lake Environmental Research Center (CLERC) provides free chipping services to Lake County residents without existing programs.

What the service covers

The page explains that chipping woody debris helps reduce hazardous vegetation around homes and along access routes. For CLERC’s program, homeowners cut and stack the material, and the Hogback Ridge Fuels Crew handles the chipping. The homeowner then chooses the disposal method for the chipped material on the Chipping Request Form.

South Lake County amounts and matching

Annual supporting memberships in the South Lake Fire Safe Council are available for $30 per year. Supporting Members are entitled to receive up to 4 hours of chipping per year at the rate of $60 per hour, within the boundaries of the South Lake Fire Protection District. The first 30 minutes are covered by the annual membership fee.

Hidden Valley Lake details

The Hidden Valley Lake Association Chipping Program is designed to assist property owners in reducing fire fuel on their property. The chipping service is free for brush and tree limbs removed by property owners in the normal course of yard maintenance and weed abatement. The page says the HVLA 2020 Chipping Program is provided for free all 12 months of the year.

How to apply

For the Hidden Valley Lake program, residents should call the Environmental Control Department at (707) 987-3138, extension 107, give their name and address, and request to be added to the “Chipping List” for the next available service in their neighborhood. The page says chipping will not be picked up unless the resident is on the Chipping List.

Timing and funding

The page does not list a countywide end date. It presents these as currently available programs. It also says CLERC’s program is funded by the USDA Community Wildfire Defense Grant.