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The Clear Lake Environmental Research Center launched it's Community Chipping Program in Summer of 2023. This program was funded by the USDA, Forest Service; Community Wildfire Defense Grant, Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.
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The goal of this program is to create defensible space around any infrastructure. This county wide chipping program is modeled after the South Lake Fire Safe Council chipping program. Thanks to their successful program, the rest of the county benefits from their experience. The project is administered by CLERC, implemented by the Hogback Ridge Fuels Crew and supported by Lake County Firewise Community. A true Lake County collaboration!
Dates and Locations
Upper Lake 6/16+6/19
Paperwork due by 6/9
Lakeport and Scotts Creek 6/29+6/30
Paperwork due by 6/23
 Tentative: Lower Lake and Clearlake 7/14+7/18
Paperwork due by 7/7
Coming to a Community Near You!
For more information or to request chipping in your community
​email chipping@clerc.co
How it works:
  • Residents will be required to fill out the Chipping Request form and a Right of Entry/ Hold Harmless Agreement form online, or they can print a copy, fill it out and mail it to PO Box 636 Lakeport, CA 95453 a week before a scheduled community chipping day. 
  • Residents will need to follow very specific guidelines to create rows of vegetation from their defensible space activities.
  • If the materials are not stacked appropriately or not in an accessible area, your materials will not be chipped.​

Guidelines to Ensure Safe and Productive Chipping

What you can do to ensure chipping

  • Vegetation is smaller than 6in in diameter and shorter than 6ft long
  • Rows do not exceed 5ft high, 6ft deep or 15ft long.
  • Vegetation stacked adjacent to roads and accessible to our crew's equipment without having to be moved. ​
  • Property address clearly visible where rows are stacked.
  • Material is stacked so traffic is not impacted and crews can work safely.
  • Dogs are contained
  • What you can do to ensure chipping
  • Rows are organized neatly, with space between the rows, for the crew to work.

What will Prevent Chipping

  • Material with rocks, dirt, berry vines, poison oak, oleander, scotch broom, tree stumps or construction materials of any type.
  • Bulldozed or machine stacked piles cannot be processed. Piles cross stacked or stacked too densely or compacted.