Firewise, Forest Health, & Wildfire Risk Mitigation

Arrowwood III is a Firewise USA community. Our HOA Firewise Committee is focused on forest health and protecting private property from wildfire risk.

To maintain our Firewise USA community program status, we provide opportunities every year for homeowners to work on forest mitigation and home-hardening projects. We partner with the Monument Fire Department and Colorado State Forest Service on forest health initiatives. We also offer homeowners education through the Wildland Fire Assessment Program. Together with our partners, our focus on wildfire mitigation helps protect life and property, and may play a role in reducing homeowner’s insurance rates.

Forest Health

Healthy Ponderosa pine forests are characterized by open, park-like stands with widely spaced mature trees, a grassy understory and open canopies where sky is visible between tree crowns. These trees have thick, exfoliating bark that resists damage and infestation, long taproots for water access and self-pruning branches. Healthy Ponderosa forests are highly adapted to withstand infestations and fire. A Ponderosa forest where the ground is covered with solid pine needles and no open sky is visible between trees, indicates an unhealthy forest with trees too closely spaced. A healthy Ponderosa pine tree should have branches all the way around the trunk and not be crowded by other trees, which causes a tree to grow lopsided.

Over the years, a significant number of Arrowwood III properties remain unmitigated and unsafe, leading to dangerously dense tree stands and thick understories of dead pine needles. As a result, the forest of Arrowwood III is now in an unhealthy and high-risk state! See this 2026 Colorado State Forest Service report for details on specific properties.

First image below shows a healthy Ponderosa forest with grass understory and adequate tree crown spacing. The second image shows a mature, uncrowded, healthy Ponderosa.

             

 

Wildfire Risk Mitigation

Federal and State forest management organizations have published guidelines for homeowners regarding stewardship of healthy forests and tree spacing. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends preparing your home for wildfire by treating the three zones surrounding your house, paying attention to tree spacing, and removing “ladder fuels”. With the proper fire mitigation actions, your property can be saved when a wildfire occurs.

Source: nfpa.org

Homeowners are encouraged to participate in the bi-annual community Slash Chipping Events by collecting and stacking dead, fallen, or pruned pine branches and placing them along street sides a couple of weeks ahead of our event dates. Volunteers are always needed for both Mitigation Work Days and Slash Chipping Events to help make our forest healthier and our neighborhood safer. Below, are a few results from our volunteers from past years: 

  • Mitigation Progress in 2023: 26 homeowners removed over 102,000 lbs of flammable material from 92 lots. 
  • Mitigation Progress in 2024: 55 homeowners volunteered 633 hours and removed over 165,000 lbs of flammable material from 79 lots.
  • Mitigation Progress in 2025: 48 homeowners volunteered 362 hours and removed over 181,000 lbs of flammable materials from 76 lots. 

 

NEW Monument Fire Department Chipping Program (Updated March 2026)

Notice to all Arrowwood III Homeowners: This summer, the Monument Fire Department (MFD) has started a BRAND NEW Chipping Program. 

The MFD is hiring seasonal crew members who will come to our streets and do the chipping for us. If a homeowner clears woody vegetation from around their home and stacks it in a slash pile that complies with their guidelines, then MFD will take care of the rest. It will work a bit like a trash pickup service. Homeowners just have to stack branches curbside by the deadline, and these crews will come through the neighborhood and do the chipping for us. 

The MFD has combined all local HOAs into different date segments. The Arrowwood III dates are ESTIMATED AS JUNE 22nd thru JULY 2nd. Unfortunately, the MFD cannot tell us the exact day they will be at a specific residence, but residents are no longer required to be present for the chipping service. The MFD is also requiring that each HOA submit a detailed list of specific addresses that are participating, so homeowners who wish to participate must submit a request at https://forms.gle/UVE8gfkBssiyuUh78 no later than June 10. 

The new chipping program is not intended for those property owners who have engaged a commercial mitigation/arborist company providing tree cutting/clearing operations. Residents who use these services are asked to also use that contractor to chip or remove their slash. NOTE: The crews are instructed to not deviate from the required guidelines – see below. 

REQUIREMENTS for 2026 CHIPPING PROGRAM PARTICIPATION 

  1. Homeowners MUST SUBMIT their request to participate at https://forms.gle/UVE8gfkBssiyuUh78 no later than JUNE 10, 2026 to be included in this Summer 2026 program. 
  1. All of these Guidelines MUST be observed (failure to comply may disqualify residents from receiving this service):
  • Branch diameter is limited to a maximum of 8 inches.
  • The overall branch length is limited to a maximum of 6 feet.
  • No mechanically piled brush by tractor or dozer will be chipped.
  • Piles must be limited to brush and tree limbs from the property itself. 
  • If assistance is needed in preparing piles to be chipped, it is recommended that a tree service or landscape contractor is contacted.
  • Stack piles neatly (no bags) within 15 feet of the roadway.
  • Piles must be stacked neatly with cut ends facing the road.
  • Do not tie or band piles.
  • Do not combine piles with neighbors’ piles.
  • Please create pile sizes of 5’x5’x5’, 5’x5’x10’, and/or 5’x5’x20’.
  • Piles must be stacked curbside by 5:00 pm on June 21.
  • No construction or building materials, treated lumber, fence posts or signs.
  • No shrubs, root wads, stumps, dirt, or rocks. 
  • No grass clippings, trash, weeds, bags of leaves or raked pine needles.
  • The chipping crew makes the final determination as to whether a pile complies with the Requirements.

After piles have been chipped, the homeowner MUST clear away any remaining branches, needles, and debris left behind within two weeks.

NOTE: After Chipping Events, any remaining branches, needles, and debris left behind (or rejected piles) MUST be removed from the roadside within two weeks. As an alternative to our community Chipping events, residents may also use Black Forest Slash/Mulch Disposal to dispose of their slash piles. This is a great alternative if you have smaller items like pine needles and small branches that cannot be handled during the Chipping events.

We appreciate all residents who work to help with forest health and wildfire risk reduction!

The Arrowwood III Firewise Committee,

Audrey Larkin
Heather Sharp
Mary Lou Figley
Garrett Stephens