Chipper Program Continues To Create Defensible Space

Big Bear, Ca, November 16, 2011, 12:00pm - Many residents within the Big Bear Valley have once again created defensible space on their property, and utilized the free curbside chipper program put on by the Big Bear Valley Fire Protection program Thin Is In.  The program, which started in 2006, has rapidly grown over the years with 3,068 requests for chipping in 2011, and over 1,000 tons of wood being chipped.  The program is in place to help home and business owners create defensible space on their properties by removing dead vegetation, trimming branches, trimming and pruning over grown shrubs, and removing accumulated pine needles.  In addition to the chipper program, residents also had 1,089 dead, dying, diseased or hazardous trees removed valley wide this past year with 768 of those trees being in the City of Big Bear Lake area.  David Yegge, who oversees the Thin Is In, and defensible space programs thanked all of the people who participated in creating defensible space, which he said is “very much needed.” The chipping program will start back up in 2012 in June.  For more information visit www.Thinisin.org.