Don’t let that dead vegetation in your yard be a hazard come fire season.
What do you do with it all?
Wildland fuels can accumulate rapidly on the west side of the Cascades, and it can be logistically challenging and expensive to deal with. Our partners are happy to assist through a number of programs and initiative to help make it easier to keep your property Firewise.
Neighborhood Chipping Program
Hoodland Fire District is helping to empower homeowners to complete their own fuels reduction work on their own properties, and at times that even assist community members in completing this fuels reduction.
The Neighborhood Chipper program involves chipping assembled branches and brush (cut and piled by homeowners) either at one central location in a neighborhood or along public and private roadways of the neighborhood.
Current funding for the chipper program have been exhausted, but stay tuned for when the program will begin back up.
Woody Debris Collection Days
We are working to establish a number of locations within Clackamas County where the public can drop of brush and limbs and other woody debris so that we can dispose of it for them.
With the aid of a grant from the Oregon State Fire Marshal we are experimenting with an Air Curtain Burner as an alternative to open pile burning. The curtain burner has blowers that force air into the burn chamber for cleaner, more efficient burning so less smoke is released into the atmosphere, and capturing the carbon as Biochar which can be used as a soil enhancement.
Currently we have established a collection location in Beavercreek, and are working to establish locations in Welches and Barton.
AntFarm Fuels Mitigation Services
AntFarm Youth services has been leading the charge in home assessments and defensible space treatments in the Partnership area. They are expanding their service to other areas in Clackamas County south of the Mt Hood Corridor.
Safe Pile Burning Workshops
Every year dozens escaped piles result in destructive wildfires. With a little care and planning, and following open burning best practices it is possible to safely dispose of woody debris that would otherwise be a hazard in fire season.
Our partners provide workshops in safe burning best practices include proper stacking for thorough combustion, what tools to have on hand, monitoring of atmospheric conditions that could lead to fire escapes, and proper extinguishment techniques.