Our free-of-charge Community Chipping Program is here to assist you in reducing vegetation and enhancing fire safety in our community.   The free chipper program assists residents in reducing vegetation and fire fuels by facilitating the chipping of material produced in quantities too large for green bins and too small for commercial chipping providers.

Who Can Participate:

All Canyon, Moraga, and Orinda residents are encouraged to take advantage of this free MOFD chipping service.

• The MOFD Chipper open to all Canyon, Moraga, Orinda residents: sign up here
• Measure R Chipper (Orinda Residents Only): sign up directly at:  https://reserve.chipperday.com/orinda

 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's).

HOW DO I SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT?  Residents can complete the online Chipper Request Form to schedule a chipping appointment. After submission, the Fuels Mitigation Manager will contact you with your scheduled date of service.

HOW DO I STACK THE VEGETATION MATERIALS TO BE CHIPPED? Parallel to the roadway with all cut stems facing the same direction to facilitate loading into the chipper. Please stack the material orderly, and our crews should not have to untangle the material.  

WHAT CAN I CHIP? Limbs; brush, shrubs, and small trees up to 6” diameter.  NO grass, hay, leaves, palm fronds, or individual pieces weighing more than 80 pounds. No staples, nails, barbed wire, vines, poison oak, or fencing of any kind.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE MOFD CHIPPER PROGRAM? Any resident of the Moraga Orinda Fire District. There must be a minimum of three homeowners in a neighborhood.  Neighborhoods are encouraged to organize to schedule a day for chipping.  Priority scheduling will be given to NFPA Firewise USA® neighborhoods. This will dramatically increase the effectiveness of the program by reducing travel time from site to site.

WILL MOFD CUT THE VEGETATION I WANT REMOVED? No. MOFD will chip material that has already been cut and stacked by the roadside.

I AM HAVING A LARGE TREE REMOVED BY A PROFESSIONAL TREE SERVICE. WILL MOFD CHIP IT AFTER IT HAS BEEN TAKEN DOWN? No. The community chipping program is designed for branches, brush, and small trees up to 6” diameter, with individual pieces weighing less than 80 pounds.

WHERE SHOULD I PLACE VEGETATION TO BE CHIPPED? Within 10 feet of roadside and off the pavement in a manner that does not interfere with vehicular traffic flow or visibility along the roadside.  Piles must not be located on steep hillsides or areas unsafe for personnel.  Piles are NOT to exceed 4 feet in height.  In order to maximize the program’s effectiveness, MOFD personnel will not carry material beyond 10 feet. 

WHAT CAN’T GO THROUGH THE CHIPPER? Only vegetation can go through the chipper--NO fence posts, scrap wood, lattice, tree stakes, or dimensional lumber of any kind.  All pieces must weigh less than 80 pounds to facilitate movement and handling.

CAN I CHIP WOOD FENCING? No.

WHERE DO CHIPS GO? Chips can be re-broadcast back onto the property or MOFD does offer a free haul-away service to be used when chips are not appropriate to be broadcast back onto the property.

WHAT IF I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE CHIPPER?  FOR FREE--Moraga/Orinda residents can upgrade from the standard 64-gallon green bin to a 96-gallon green bin for FREE. Residents can also schedule up to 4 free green waste or recycling clean-up days per calendar year. A resident is allowed up to fourteen 32-gallon bags per clean-up day, not to exceed 2 cubic yards. Items other than branches must be in paper bags, cardboard boxes, or compostable bags. Compostable gardening bags are available from any local hardware store or gardening center. Branches must be bundled with string or natural fiber rope and must not exceed 4 feet in length and 6 inches in diameter.  Larger green bins or green waste pickup can be scheduled by contacting Republic Services at 925-685-4711.

WHAT ARE THE ABATEMENT REQUIREMENTS? 

Abatement Requirements - English 
Abatement Requirement - Spanish

HOW MANY PILES HAS THE MOFD MITIGATED? The District has launched a Fuel Mitigation Dashboard to provide real-time updates showing our current fuel mitigation efforts (chipping, Rx fire).