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City reports wildfire chipping pilot served 150+ homes; staff to seek further grants and continue fuel-reduction work
Summary
Belmont staff summarized a CAL FIRE grant-funded wildfire chipping pilot that serviced more than 150 homes in western Belmont, described lessons learned for future runs and said the city will pursue additional grants and fuel-reduction work in open space.
Parks and Recreation staff recapped a grant-funded wildfire chipping pilot that targeted the western half of Belmont, said the city contracted Bay Area Tree Specialists, and reported the program serviced more than 150 homes.
Bridget (Parks & Recreation staff) said the program was funded by CAL FIRE and expanded the city's earlier pilot efforts. The contractor logged addresses and took before-and-after photos; staff said the program was generally successful but identified operational improvements for future efforts.
Lessons learned staff listed included: require participant pre-registration to allow contractor route planning; avoid offering the option for the contractor to leave chips behind (removing chips proved faster and less labor intensive); select service dates that do not coincide with regular trash pickup; request clearly visible house numbers and that residents move nearby cars on service days; limit overflow/extra registrations so contractors are not overcommitted; and increase door-to-door or neighborhood-level outreach where needed. Bridget said some addresses received service more than once across two working weeks because homeowners staged multiple piles for collection.
The contractor took and composted chips at Recology per staff; staff noted the city currently has a significant volume of chips stored (for reuse in parks) and asked homeowners to plan accordingly. The program logged about ten full contractor workdays; staff said additional participation would require more funding and work days.
Separately, staff said the city received six proposals for fuel-reduction work along emergency access roads (Lake Road, Salson Trail and parts of John Brooks) and expects to select a contractor by the end of the week; work likely will occur late summer or early fall to avoid nesting season and will require trail closures and neighbor notifications. Staff also launched a wildfire resources page (belmont.gov/wildfire) and announced a free community Wildfire Safe & Ready event on April 26 at the event center.
Commissioners and members of the public asked about volunteer coordination (neighbor-to-neighbor assistance and CERT involvement), the disposition of chipped material (composted at Recology) and whether future grant cycles would allow chipping in additional neighborhoods. Staff said future grants are possible but depend on state and federal funding availability and that the city will continue to apply for funding.
