slash – Island Park Fire Community

Slash Disposal

A free service from the Island Park Sustainable Fire Community

We thank everyone in Island Park for their effort & dedication

Over the past 9 years, we have picked up 1,374 slash piles!

OUR SLASH PICKUP WILL OPERATE DIFFERENTLY IN 2024

In recent years, free slash pickup offered by Island Park Sustainable Fire Community has been supported by grants from Idaho Department of Lands under Hazardous Fuels Reduction (HFR) and Western Fire Managers (WFM) programs. Our HFR grants are focused on the area along the Yale-Kilgore Road between Yale Creek and Shotgun West, while our most recent WFM grant (now completed) encompassed a broader area of Island Park.

For 2024, our slash pickup is funded by an HFR grant that limits our slash pickup to the area along the Yale-Kilgore Road, bounded to the east by Yale Creek and to the west by Shotgun West.

We apologize for being unable to help everyone this year, however we are optimistic about receiving future grant funding that will enable us to expand our reach again!

**** SIGN UP BY AUGUST 31 FOR 2024 SLASH PICKUP ****

Where Do you Live

Yale Creek/Other Developments west of Shotgun Store along Yale-Kilgore Road

Elsewhere in Island Park

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Common Questions

What is Defensible Space?

Defensible space is the area surrounding a house or other structure where the vegetation and fuels have been modified, thinned, or removed to slow or stop fire from reaching the building(s), giving firefighters a better opportunity to safely and effectively defend the property.

Creating defensible space rarely involves removing all vegetation and fuels from the landscape, but it does require reduction in flammable vegetation. When properly done, defensible space can help provide you and your property with protection from fire and flying embers.

What Is Slash?

Slash can be defined as the branches, treetops, bushes, and other woody material less than 7” in diameter that remains after thinning or performing other fuels treatments on a property. Slash does not include dirt or other material such as household garbage, chemicals, plastics, appliances, tree stumps, or large roots. Slash also does not include rocks or construction material such as 2x4s, plywood, etc.

Why Is Slash Hazardous?

Since slash is no longer living trees or vegetation, it generally becomes very dry and, subsequently, very combustible. Slash is often piled together, and this creates a large, highly flammable concentration of fuel for a fire. These piles are especially dangerous when located next to structures or close to standing trees and bushes because they can provide the dangerous “ladder fuels” that cause fires to climb into the crowns of trees where they become difficult and dangerous to control.

I have a pile of slash, how do I get rid of it?

There are several options for removing slash from your property:

Take the slash to an approved dump site.
Burned under very specific, controlled conditions (see below).
Participate in the annual IPSFC slash disposal.

Please contact us at ipsustainablefire@gmail.com or at 208-680-6852 for further questions about slash and how to dispose of it.

Can I burn my slash pile?

The State of Idaho requires burn permits from May 10 through October 20. Burning can be limited based on current fire restrictions. It is also illegal to burn garbage and most human-made substances, including: plastic, hazardous waste, paints or painted materials, tires, and trade wastes (produced by a business). These materials emit hazardous pollutants into the air when they are burned and must be taken to a registered landfill.
Please visit burnpermits.idaho.gov for more information on how to apply for a burn permit and what restrictions may apply.

I can remove my own slash. Where do I take it?

The Meadow Creek Pit at Valley View is open mid-May though October, 10 am to 3pm Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Please ensure that slash loads do not contain any garbage, appliances, and other non-vegetative material, or we will be unable to accept it. Trash is very costly and time-consuming to relocate.

How do I stack slash properly?