San Luis Obispo County Offers Free Wood Chipping for Fire Safety

San Luis Obispo County Fire Safe Council is offering free vegetation chipping events this October to help communities reduce wildfire risk.

Residents living in officially designated wildfire-prone areas of Jardine, Cambria, and Los Osos can use the services, the Fire Safe Council said on its website. People living in a moderate, high, or very high fire hazard severity zone within these communities are eligible to participate in the program.

Residents can sign up here for the program. Since space is limited, reservations are booked on a first-come, first-served basis.

Crews will start in Cambria on October 16, 2025, and in Los Osos on October 21, 2025. Residents do not need to be home on these days unless they want the chips to be left on-site.

The program is funded by the Fire Safe Council of San Luis Obispo County, with additional support from the Cambria Fire Safe Focus Group.

Wildfires are a persistent threat in San Luis Obispo. The recent Gifford Fire was one of the largest so far in 2025. The fire burned over 131,600 acres across the San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. The fire broke out on August 1 and was 100% contained in September. According to the California Department of Forestry & Fire Department, three civilians and 15 firefighters were injured in the fire. Five structures were also destroyed.

Wood chipping is a preventative step in reducing flammable vegetation in residential areas.

An experienced and licensed local contractor will work on the chipping, the Fire Safe Council added. Residents will have to cut their own vegetation and stack the material. The contractor will only chip material that has been stacked by the homeowner.

Pile Guidelines

• Wood piles should be within 20 feet long x 4 feet wide x 4 feet high.
• Branches larger than 6 inches in diameter are not allowed.
• Only one pile per reservation is permitted.
• The cut ends should face the street.
• Lumber, root balls, palm, yucca, or poison oak will not be permitted.
• The piles must be accessible within 5 feet of a drivable surface.
• Piles should be ready by 8 a.m. on the scheduled day.

What is Wood Chipping?

Wood chipping turns trees, brush, and other woody debris into smaller chips using a wood chipper. Instead of hauling the green waste to the landfill, these chips can be used as mulch, for erosion control, or even in landscaping.

Wood chipping is an efficient way to clean up after storm damage and tree trimming, besides helping reduce wildfires.