Q. What’s with the name?
A. Saws and Slaws is short for chainsaws and coleslaws.
Q. What do you guys do?
A. The short version; we look for neighborhoods that want to fire mitigate, rally a bunch of people together, work hard in the morning then enjoy a community potluck meal by noon.
Q. Who pays for all this?
A. We charge $1,000 per event or $30 for 20 minutes of chipping for chipping only events. This helps us to cover the costs of insurance, tools, tool maintenance, education, and administrative expenses. We are currently 100% volunteer run, including the many hours that are put into by the Operations Team and the Board of Directors. We have received grant funding in the past from Boulder County and Colorado Open Lands. Additionally, we receive donations of cash through our website or of firewood. The idea is after your “canyon neighbor” helps you with your property, that someday you will be able to turn around and help him do his. One cost associated might be for a forester to mark trees. Our Homeowner Information for Hosting an Event brochure helps to outline these costs and some options.
Q. How do you know what trees to cut down?
A. The Home Owners can either mark their own trees to be cut by following the “creating wildfire defensible zones” guidelines or they can hire a forester to come out and mark the trees for them. One option in Boulder county is Wildfire Partners, they offer assessments to home owners and mark the trees for them as part of the assessment. This takes a lot of the guesswork out for a home owner.
Q. Do you do all the cutting?
A. Nope, we leave the “challenging” trees near the homes or power lines to the professionals.
Q. How do I get Saws and Slaws to come to my neighborhood?
A. After you get 3-6 neighbors on board contact us. We will then discuss your needs and walk your property to see if it is a good fit for all the parties involved. Please fill out and email us your Event Site Application.