Saws & Slaws

Background Statement

Saws & Slaws was originally founded in 2011 as a committee of The Environmental Group of Coal Creek Canyon. After hosting an educational series about forest health and fire mitigation, the founders were inspired to enable and support individuals doing the critical fire mitigation work using an Amish barn-raising style event. By recruiting both a bunch of volunteers as well as neighbors to do work together, we are able to make a significant, very localized impact in a few hours. Our firefighters, our neighbors, and local wildilfe will be safer as a result of the work that we do. As a bonus, we build a stronger and more resilient community by introducing neighbors to each other. Our potluck meals at the end of each event are a celebration of a job well done and a great way to get to know our neighbors in an otherwise rather rural community.

Since 2011, we have continued to hold monthly mitigation events in the summer. We also continue to offer educational programs about forest ecology, fire mitigation, and chainsaw skills & safety. We also added a "curbside chipping" style event where we roll through a neighborhood to chip the smaller material like branches and treetops (aka 'slash') We also haul slash to local collection events to support removing this fuel from our dense forests. As natural extensions of the work that we do, we started selling and donating firewood within our community to help close the loop with the woody material that we remove from the forest. We also have supported other communities in implementing Saws & Slaws like events. Finally, we have facilitated some larger-scale forest treatments through grant funding and professional services in order to protect whole neighborhoods and evacuation routes.

We became a stand-alone organization in March 2017.