THE OJAI VALLEY AND SANTA PAULA WILDFIRE SAFETY PROGRAM
Free wood chipping for qualifying residents
A community program funded by CAL FIRE
Free while funding is available
The Ojai Valley and Santa Paula region
SERVING:
HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS
A Field Corps crew comes to your property to chip branches and woody debris you've already cut and stacked
01
FIRST
Submit a request
Fill out the form at the bottom of this page. Staff confirms within 3 business days or up to a week during peak season.
NEXT
Stack your pile
Stack material at the curb the night before your scheduled date, following the material and pile rules. Cut ends facing the road.
LAST
The Field Corps chips
A Field Corps crew arrives on the scheduled date and chips the pile. Chips are blown back onto the property. No haul-away.
Open to all residents in the service area
02
WHO QUALIFIES
Residential properties only. Not commercial, timber harvest projects, or vacant lots.
PROPERTY TYPE
Property within the service area shown below will be given priority.
LOCATION
C.R.E.W.’s Ojai Valley and Santa Paula Wildfire Safety Program serves the shaded areas on the map below first. Outside them, it serves homes while funding lasts, and staff will confirm eligibility. Look up your address to see where it falls.
PRIORITY AREAS
WHAT CAN BE CHIPPED
The chipper handles branches and trunks within specific size ranges. Piles with prohibited materials cannot be chipped.
Qualified woody material only
03
ACCEPTED
Tree branches, trunks, and woody shrubs.
DIAMETER
Up to 6 inches
Larger trunks require professional removal
LENGTH
3 foot minimum
Shorter pieces are too small to chip safely
PROHIBITED
Soft plant matter, toxic plants, invasive species, and contaminated debris.
Material in this list is unsafe to handle, damages the chipper, or is an invasive species that will spread through chips.
SOFT PLANT MATTER
Leaves, pine needles, yard clippings, twigs, vegetable plants, cacti, succulents.
TANGLING MATERIAL
Morning glory, ivy, honeysuckle, wisteria.
DECAYING WOOD
Any rotted material, even if it would otherwise be accepted.
TOXIC PLANTS
Poison oak.
FIBROUS & TOUGH
Bamboo, arundo, tamarisk, palm fronds.
SHARP/THORNED
Blackberry, rose, bougainvillea, citrus branches.
GROUND MATERIAL
Root balls, stumps, dirt, rocks, mud.
INVASIVE SPECIES
All types of Broom.
NON-VEGETATIVE
Metal, plastic, rope, wire.
If your pile contains prohibited material, the C.R.E.W. Field Corps may skip the visit.
Five rules cover size, stacking, placement, clearance, and timing. Piles that break a rule may not be chipped.
Guide to stacking a pile for chipping
04
PILE RULES
SIZE
Pile maximum is 4 feet by 9 feet.
STACKING
Stack long and low, rather than tall.
Cut ends face the road, all in same direction.
PLACEMENT
Within 5 feet of road or driveway access.
If the road or driveway is on a slope, place the pile on the uphill side.
CLEARANCE
At least 10 feet from fire hydrants, utility poles, transformers, water meters and lines, and gas meters and lines.
TIMING
Pile is at the curb the night before your scheduled date.
The Ideal Pile
05
SUBMIT YOUR REQUEST
Staff confirms your date within 3 business days or up to a week during peak season. All pile guidelines in section 04 must be met for service. Service subject to availability of grant funds.
Sign up for free chipping
Signing up for someone else? A family member, friend, neighbor, or caregiver can complete this form on a resident's behalf. Put the resident's name and address at the top of the form and your own contact info in the "Authorized Backup Contact" field.