Park City Fire District plans to expand its free wood-chipping program in 2027 after crews processed 1,244 piles of yard waste this season, 100 more than last year.

The district has purchased a second chipper with grant funding and plans to add another crew next year. The expansion will allow firefighters to work with larger property owners and Summit County on broader wildfire fuel-reduction projects, as first reported by the Park Record.

Battalion Chief Mike Owens presented the program's annual results at the Oct. 6 fire board meeting. He said the added capacity will allow crews to cut and remove overgrowth, rather than only chip material collected by homeowners.

The chipping program has operated for more than 20 years. It runs from May through September, with three full-time crew members using a dedicated truck and chipper.

Owens said the district handled about 600 piles annually when he joined 21 years ago. This year's total was typical for the expanded operation, which peaked at roughly 1,500 piles during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Summit Park accounted for about 45% of the piles processed this season, followed by Jeremy Ranch at 35%. The remaining 20% came from other neighborhoods across the district.

Crews produced approximately 2,000 cubic yards of wood chips. Owens estimated that the material represented about 9,000 cubic yards of wildfire fuel removed from local properties.

The program costs the district approximately $35,000 annually. Owens said its benefits extend beyond yard-waste removal because clearing vegetation around homes helps reduce wildfire risks.

The chipping work also contributes to local fuel-reduction obligations under Utah's Cooperative Wildfire Program. Under that arrangement, the state covers certain extended wildfire suppression costs in exchange for prevention work by participating communities.

Those suppression costs can be substantial. The Rocky Canyon Fire near Henefer had cost $6.2 million as of Aug. 22, according to KPCW. The human-caused fire burned approximately 16,500 acres and forced more than 500 people to evacuate.

“The benefit is well above what we put into it,” Owens told the fire board, according to the Park Record.

The district's chipping service is available to homeowners throughout its approximately 110-square-mile coverage area, including Park City and the Snyderville Basin.

Residents place eligible wood waste near the street and register through the district's online system. Crews travel through designated neighborhoods on a rotating schedule, chipping registered piles as they go.

The district also makes wood chips available for reuse, helping keep the material out of the waste stream.

Registration for the 2026 season has closed. The district expects to reopen registration around mid-April 2027, while details of the expanded fuel-reduction services will be announced through its website and local homeowners associations.