Updated March 2026

 

How do I get a Ciudad chipper event in my neighborhood?

Each neighborhood will need a Chipper Days “champion” – Someone who organizes homeowners to participate in the event. This community organizer can fill out an interest form and will be contacted by a Ciudad Forestry representative to begin establishing rates, dates, participation numbers, and other logistics.

Before homeowners begin cutting, Ciudad will host an informational meeting for the neighborhood. This meeting will provide guidelines to homeowners regarding how to properly cut and stack their green waste. Ciudad will then hire a contractor to chip the material on a mutually agreed upon date.

The neighborhood champion is responsible for communication amongst the neighborhood participants and bolstering participation in the event.

 

How much does it cost?

Cost depends on the number of participants, amount of biomass cut, and size of the neighborhood. Subsequently, contractor rates are established per day of work. Typically, the contractors cost $1,800 per day. Ciudad SWCD will pay 80%+ of this cost. We ask neighborhoods for a 20% cost-share so we are able to spread our funds to help more neighborhoods. This means that for neighborhoods, this program costs approximately $360/day. Prices are subject to change.

Who cuts the trees/limbs?

For Chipper Day events, homeowners are responsible for thinning their own property and stacking the material correctly on the roadside. Homeowners will have roughly 3-4 weeks to prepare their stacks.

Following this, a contractor will then chip the material and either broadcast-spread it back onto the property (default) or create a pile of wood chips near the roadside (by request only).

Who operates/feeds the chipper?

An experienced contractor, selected by Ciudad SWCD, will operate the chipper. For your safety and the safety of the contractors, please DO NOT interfere with this work.

Will the chipper come up my driveway?

No, the chipper will only come along roadsides. Homeowners will need to stack their material on the edge of their property near the roadside.

Where/How do I prepare my cut trees and limbs?

During the informational meeting, Ciudad will share advice regarding how to properly thin your property. Loppers and hand saws are often all you’ll need for equipment. For more information on cutting requirements, refer to the slides below. 

• Leave a good mix of tree species and ages
• Focus on areas closest to home and work outward from there
• Trim conifers and junipers
• For mature trees, trim branches up to 6 feet high
• Remove most conifer saplings under mature trees
• Cut stumps low and flat to the ground

Drag material to the edge of your property along the roadside and make neat piles following these guidelines:

• All cut ends should be facing toward the street
• Do NOT include rocks, gravel, pine needles or other materials. Only branches.
• Cut ends should be no larger than 5-8 inches in diameter

 

When will the chipper come?

The neighborhood "champion" and Ciudad will work together to plan dates for the chipper to come. Typically, neighborhoods will have approximately 4 weeks after the informational meeting to thin their property before the chipper comes.

What about bark beetles? 

Because bark beetles are a serious threat to the health of our pinyon-juniper woodlands, we will only do chipper events when beetles are dormant from October-April.