Tag Archives: Firewise

Sudden Valley Firewise Program – 2022

Sudden Valley Community Association will be hosting a Firewise program starting on July 11th, 2022.

The purpose of a Firewise program is to promote awareness to the dangers of fires from vegetation surrounding community homes and other properties. One hazard that is prevalent within Sudden Valley are the tree limbs that have fallen naturally or during windstorms. These limbs are referred to in a Firewise program as “ground fuels”. Because large limbs are difficult to remove, Sudden Valley Community Association assists homeowners by providing a free service whereby residents of the Association can dispose of the tree limbs that have broken from trees on or surrounding their property. This Firewise service is provided by SVCA’s Maintenance Department during a published scheduled time frame.

Residents can take advantage of this program by having their tree branches placed in an
accessible pile next to the roadway prior to the scheduled pickup time for their area. Piles of
branches placed by the roadside after the scheduled pickup time will not be picked up and
will be the property owners’ responsibility.

Scope of Service:

  • Service is limited to residents; no commercial support is available.
  • Branches must be piled next to the road and easily accessible to the Firewise crew. Do not block ditches with branches.
  • Pickup is limited to tree branches that have naturally broken from a tree. Services do not include limbs that are “cut” from an established tree.
  • The maximum diameter of the limb is six (6) inches.
  • There is no limit to the length of the limb.
  • The height of a pile of limbs should be no more than five (5) feet tall.
  • Vegetation such as brush, lawn waste, tree roots, bagged leafs, etc. will not be picked up as these items will jam/plug equipment. If these items are left alongside the roadway, they will be the property owners’ responsibility to dispose of.
  • Questions pertaining to the Sudden Valley Community Association’s Firewise program can be directed to the Maintenance Superintendent by calling (360) 778-2223.

Recycle Disposal: Limbs are fed into a large wood chipping machine and the chips transported to
a Sudden Valley Association wood chip composting site. The chips will be made available free to
residents to self-load on a first come basis.

Firewise 2022 Schedule:

DateLocation
July 11thGate 5: Maintenance Zones 51, 52, and 53.
July 18thGate 3: Maintenance Zones 3, 4, 5, and 6.
July 25thGates 3, 9, and 13: Maintenance Zones 1 and 2.
August 1stGate 1: Maintenance Zones 10, 11, 12, 14, and 15.
August 8thGate 2: Maintenance Zones 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26.

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FREE Wildfire Workshops

The Whatcom Conservation District is offering 2 Wildfire Workshops this summer in partnership with the City of Bellingham. Choose from a Virtual Workshop on Tuesday July 27th or an In-person Workshop on Tuesday August 31st at the Geneva Fire Station.

These Workshops are FREE and are from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm. Learn from local experts about wildfire risk, preparedness, response, tree & forest health, FREE wildfire evaluations for your property, and more!
The registration deadline is Sunday July 25th. Questions? Contact Jenny Coe at jcoe@whatcomcd.org

2021 Firewise

The SVCA Maintenance Department will be conducting 2021 Firewise from April 19th to May 10th. This is a 4-week program dedicated to cleaning up from winter storms and reducing the fuel for wildfires near structures.

Instructions:

  • Stack piles of trimmed or fallen branches perpendicular to the street, in a neat pile, acceptable pile sizes are between 5′ – 10′.
  • Please try to stack them so they all point the same direction with thick end facing the street.
  • We can accept branches from 1” to 7” in diameter. Branches need to be at least 2’ in length so they can be chipped.
  • We cannot accept garbage, dimension lumber, cones, small debris (leaves), ferns, twigs, and blackberry vines as they will clog chipper.

If you have items that are too small for chipping, they can be dropped off at the Clean Green location on the scheduled disposal days from May-September. Clean Green information will be sent out & posted as we get closer to May.

PLEASE refrain from completing this form UNTIL your branches are out and ready for pickup: