RCD Community Chipping Programs

How it works

The RCD’s Community Chipping Programs are meant to help residents reduce wildfire fuel around homes by turning cleared vegetation into mulch chips. The RCD says it offers two options when funding is available: a no-cost individual chipping program where the RCD hires the chipping company to come to your home, and a neighborhood reimbursement program for communities that do their own chipping.

What the money covers

For the no-cost option, the RCD pays for a chipping company to come to the property and chip material. The chips are blown back onto the property and are not removed.

For the reimbursement option, eligible chipping costs may be reimbursed. The official page says eligible material must come from cleared vegetation originating within 100 feet of occupied structures or within 15 feet on either side of a private road. The page also says the program is intended to incentivize defensible space around homes in high wildfire risk areas.

Amounts and matching

The RCD states that reimbursement can be up to $250 per property and $80 per 500 linear feet of private road. Reimbursement is provided to one individual from the neighborhood, HOA, or road association, who manages or distributes the funds as needed.

How to apply

The page says sign-ups are first-come, first-served when the reimbursement program is open. The neighborhood application is filled out by one individual, followed by a reimbursement request after chipping is completed.

Timing and availability

All programs depend on grant funding and availability. The page shows seasonal program status, including Neighborhood Chipping Reimbursement opening August 1 and Spring No-Cost Chipping closed at the time the page was crawled.