Colorado's Summit County sees surge in participation as high country homeowners clear wildfire fuel
With concerns about wildfire risk growing across Colorado's Summit County, more homeowners than ever are taking advantage of the county's free chipping program to clear vegetation away from their homes. The program allows residents to pile up branches, brush and small trees along the roadside, where crews collect and chip the material at no cost. The effort helps homeowners create defensible space, one of the most effective ways to improve a home's chances of surviving a wildfire.
"We had a really low snowpack here, we've got a really dry environment and a great deal of concern about the potential for wildfire," said Dan Schroder, Summit County's Colorado State University Natural Resources agent and director.
That concern appears to be the driving force behind increased participation this year.
According to Schroder, the program typically sees around 2,000 participating homes each year. This summer, Summit County is on pace to reach roughly 3,000 homes, with more material being collected than ever before.
"The metrics are really astounding," Schroder said. "This isn't child's play. The people that are putting material out are putting it out in volume."
Schroder said crews are seeing more than a 30% increase in material compared to the program's busiest year on record. For homeowners like Cindy Van Duinen, the extra effort is worth it.
"We are interested in helping with the fire mitigation for the summer," Van Duinen said. "We're doing our part."
She recently spent time trimming trees and clearing vegetation around her property, work she said has become noticeably more common throughout her neighborhood.
"There's a big difference this year, throughout our neighborhood and other areas of the community," Van Duinen said.
The collected material doesn't go to waste. Schroder said the wood chips are used as a base material in Summit County's compost program, which is then sold and used to help offset costs at the dump.
