Welcome to the Galena Forest Community (GFC) website, your communication hub for all things relating to wildfire safety in our neighborhood! On this Home Page, you will find news on upcoming neighborhood fire safety activities and projects when they are planned. Using the menu buttons above, you will find educational material to help you plan your own defensible-space projects, information regarding evacuation preparedness and procedures, and the latest fire-safety information prepared by our local, state, and national partners.

October 14th is our target date for our autumn push for defensible space creation and maintenance. With the threat of the Davis Fire fresh in our minds, this program should have monumental participation. With that in mind, please get your request in early. Hopefully there will not be any restriction on the number of participants.

There is one big change taking place with our chipping program, as we need to increase its efficiency.
All chips will be left with the resident by broadcasting them back on the property to act as a mulch, or left in a pile for the resident to spread or dispose of. Unfortunately this is non-negotiable, as a single round-trip to empty the truck takes about an hour and a half, which equates to the time it takes to service a dozen addresses. Our chipping program was never intended to be a disposal service, but as an aid to reducing the volume of the slash from our brush and limb clearing projects to a manageable size. Thank you for your help and understanding!

"Green-waste chips" are a great mulch for our pine trees. They help the soil retain moisture as well as providing nutrients as they compost. They also work as a growth inhibitor for any weed-prone areas of our landscaping. We hope everyone puts their chips to use, as opposed to sending them away with Waste Management. Just remember that wood products should not be used as mulch within five-feet of any structure, just like the restriction for pine needles.

To make it as easy as possible for TMFR to provide this service, we need to follow a few guidelines (a small consolation for such a huge dividend):

1) A hold-harmless agreement signed by the property owner is required for TMFR to enter your property to access your material to be chipped. If so, the work crew will provide you with the paperwork. Chipping from the street does not require a signed agreement.

2) Piles to be chipped should be close to the road or driveway for easy access.

3) Please keep in mind that your scheduled date and time for chipping could be delayed due to unforeseen TMFR firefighting duty. In anticipation of a “worst-case scenario,” we recommend you create your pile(s) in a location you can live with for at least a couple weeks past your scheduled chipping date.

4) The material must be no more than 8” in diameter. The mouth of the chipper can’t handle material any larger than that. No root balls or construction debris can be chipped.

5) Piles must be free of dirt, rocks and metal. These items will damage the chipper blades.

6) Piles must be free of all non-vegetative materials, such as household trash, plastic, pet waste, and textiles. These items contaminate the chips.

7) The chipper cannot handle bulk quantities of leaves, pine needles, pine cones or lawn clippings. These items merely clog the machine.

For any questions or clarifications regarding these limitations, please contact the GFC directly.

As a reminder, please continue to document ALL time you spend clearing fuels from your property at any time of the year, plus any expenses you encounter. You can access and print out the form by clicking the "Volunteer Hourly Worksheet" button at the top of this page, and you can also click on the "Time/Expense/Investment Examples" button for a document describing all the activities and expenses that qualify. Documenting our efforts shows proof of an involved Community, which will help TMFR continue to secure future funding for these neighborhood programs. Simply submit your forms by email or by dropping them in the dropbox at 1740 Green Ash Road.