Slash: What should you do with it?

By Daniel Ochocki
Special to the Herald
A common dilemma faced by landowners trying to reduce their wildfire hazard by thinning pine and removing oak is, "What do I do with the ‘slash’ (branches, chips, and other forest debris)?" Most can find neighbors who will take the larger material for use in their woodstove or fireplace, but that leaves the smaller branches and tops to dispose of.

A number of options are available:

Piling and burning. Though not appropriate during the fire season, this is a valid disposal method for the winter months. Wait for that first snow, when danger of flames spreading on the ground is minimal. Keep your piles small and away from trees. Contact your local dispatch center and fire department before lighting.

 

Chipping. Many rental companies and commercial fire-hazard reduction companies have chippers for rent or hire. Distributing these chips on the ground slightly increases fire danger, but remember – a ground fire is relatively easy to control. It's the fires that climb the ladder fuels into the tree crowns that present the greatest difficulty.

 

Using a grinder. A number of grinders are available from rental companies and for hire from commercial companies. Similar to chippers, these machines leave the chips for you to spread on the forest floor or use in landscaping.

 

Lopping and scattering. For Defensible Space Zone One (15 feet around a structure) and Zone Two (distance depends on slope but can be as great as 200 feet), removing or chipping/grinding the slash is critical.
For the remainder of your property, however, slash generated from forest management practices can simply be cut up (lopped) and scattered. Slash should be spread as low to the ground as possible, preferably no higher than 12 inches. As years pass and snow packs this material lower to the ground, decomposition begins and nutrients are returned to the soil.
Daniel Ochocki is a district forester with the Colorado State Forest Service.