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Bragg Creek hosts second Chipper Weekend

wood chipper
Residents of Bragg Creek can dispose of flammable tree clippings at Rocky View County's second Chipper Weekend Aug. 10 to 11. The initiative is driven by the Greater Bragg Creek FireSmart Committee. Photo: Metro Creative Connection

Bragg Creek residents hoping to protect their property by clearing back combustible vegetation may want to take advantage of Chipper Weekend, Aug. 10 and 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“The whole idea is to assist the citizens in removing the debris that they chopped down or cut away,” said Marcus Weckesser, Rocky View County (RVC) district fire chief and fire marshal.

According to Weckesser, residents can dispose of the material at the RVC Hamlet Water Plant/Grader Station on Burnside Road, where all they have to do is park their vehicle.

“Our crews will unload the twigs and branches and the stumps,” he said. “We’ll unload it, we’ll put it into a stockpile, and then we have a contractor who’s going to chip it all and haul it away. You don’t have to do anything – you just have to show up.”

Crews will accept shrubs and tree trimmings as well as branches less than six inches in diameter, Weckesser said, but won’t accept domestic waste, treated lumber products or root balls.

“We don’t like things like root balls and all the dirt that’s associated with them,” he said. “Dirt is really hard on the chipper.”

Chipper Weekend is an initiative driven by the Greater Bragg Creek FireSmart Committee, which Weckesser said is tasked with implementing FireSmart principles in the community to mitigate wildfire risks.

“The committee is made up of locals in the greater Bragg Creek area, and they have a passion for FireSmarting,” he said. “They believe very strongly in the initiative, because it’s their neighbourhood, so they have a vested interest in it.”

Weckesser said one of the principles of FireSmart is vegetation management, where residents help protect their homes by removing combustible vegetation in the 10 metres surrounding the residence, known as the “home ignition zone.”

“We’ve educated a lot of people in Bragg Creek about how to FireSmart and do a little bit of vegetation management, so they’re trimming their trees and they’re making sure there’s no ladder fuel,” he said. “Chipper Days is designed in assisting them in removing that debris from their property.”

Weckesser said the committee realized the need to help locals who were making an effort to clear fuel out of the home ignition zone, but didn’t have anywhere to dispose of the debris.

This is the second time a Chipper Weekend has been hosted in the hamlet, he added, with another coming in September.

“We plan on probably hosting a few more of these over the years, simply because FireSmarting isn’t just a quick cut-and-go kind of thing,” Weckesser said. “This is an ongoing thing that is going to take years and years and years to do.”

While Chipper Weekend will be limited to residents of the greater Bragg Creek area, Weckesser said FireSmart principles can and should be applied broadly throughout RVC.

“Conditions change from one end of the county to the other, however, the principles are exactly the same,” he said. “The science of fire movement remains constant.”

The best thing residents can do, Weckesser said, is apply for a FireSmart assessment to be completed on their property by a County crew, which can provide recommendations for mitigating fire risks to the property.

“That’s the crux of the whole matter,” he said. “When it comes to FireSmarting, we don’t go on anybody’s property and tell them what to do. We offer them suggestions, we aid them in FireSmarting, but it’s up to them to decide how much they want to do.”

Assessments can be booked online at rockyview.ca, where more information on FireSmart is also available.

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