Wood waste disposal | Regional District of Central Okanagan

In the past, a common method of wood waste disposal has been burning. Chipping wood waste helps keep our air clean and provides growers with valuable wood chips. The RDCO offers two incentive programs for wood waste disposal.

Mow it. Chip it. rebate program

The RDCO offers a mow/chip rebate program. The program supports access to flail mowing or chipping equipment by offering rebates for renting equipment or hiring services, or purchasing equipment for small volumes of wood waste (less than four piles sized 3m x 3m x 2m tall).

One rebate per household. Rebates are granted on a first-come, first-served basis. Funding is limited and based on availability. Rebates will be paid by cheque and mailed to the address provided. Receipt or invoice must be from the same calendar year as the rebate application.

The deadline for applications is November 15.

Apply to the Mow it. Chip it. program

Rebate incentive levels:

Type of property	Rent equipment or hire service	Buy equipment
Residential properties	Rebate available annually. Rebates cover 80% of rental equipment or service, up to $500 maximum.	One-time rebate per property. Rebates cover 50% of the total equipment cost up to $1500.
Farm properties*	Rebate available annually. Rebates up to $3000 maximum for rental equipment or chipping/flail mow service.	One-time rebate per property. Rebates cover 50% of the total equipment cost up to $1500.

* Farm properties must be in an Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) zone or classified as farm status by BC Assessment or a local government.

Program details

Eligibility requirements

For residential and farm properties sized 1 ha or greater and located within the Central Okanagan (Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lake Country, Peachland, Westbank First Nation, Central Okanagan East and Central Okanagan West Electoral Areas).
Small volume of wood means less than4 piles sized 3m width x3m large x2m height. If you have 4 or more piles of wood, consider applying to the Agricultural Chipping Program instead.
Residential property means:
- residential property 1ha (2.47 acres) or greater (not farm) or
- residential property 1ha (2.47 acres) or greater in a fuel management /wildfire interface area.
Farm property means:
- farms classified as Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) or
- farm status by BC Assessment or a local government.

The rental/purchase of equipment should be used for the purposes of fuel reduction and/or agricultural activities.

Process

Confirm your eligibility.
Prepare you piles of wood.
- Note: Wood waste is best chipped when it's still green/moist. Dry wood creates dust and wears down the blades faster.
Rent or purchase the equipment and complete the work.
Complete the online rebate form: Mow it. Chip it. The deadline for applications is November 15.
Use your wood chips on your property or give them away to your neighbours. Mixing chips into soil instead of layering it on top allows for faster breakdown. For residences in wildfire/interface areas, follow the FireSmart guidelines Residential Use of Wood Chips Memo

Agricultural wood waste chipping program

The RDCO offers a free agricultural wood waste chipping program. The program supports alternatives to burning by providing access to chipping services for larger volumes of wood waste (four or more piles sized 3m x 3m x 2m tall).

This program is supported by the British Columbia Fruit Growers Association and the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre.

Registration is accepted year-round, and chipping generally occurs from March through June and from September through December. It's recommended you register for the program at least one year in advance.

Apply to the agricultural wood waste program

Program details

Eligibility requirements

Your orchard/property is 1 ha or greater in size, and located within the Central Okanagan (Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lake Country, Peachland, Central Okanagan East and Central Okanagan West Electoral Areas.
The land is classified as agricultural.
Wood waste from orchard removal for the purpose of replanting or another agricultural use. Orchards removed for the purpose of residential or commercial development will not be accepted.
The site is accessible for the chipping equipment.
You have a large amount of wood waste.

Process

If your orchard qualifies under the program guidelines, your name will be placed on the waitlist. A grinder will be brought to your orchard to chip stumps and large branches into 1 to 2-inch diameter sized chips.

The waitlist is managed on a first-come, first-served basis.
A contractor will contact you to do a site visit and schedule the chipping. Delays may occur due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances.
Prepare your wood waste:

Check alternatives to burning and how to prepare for wood chipping.
Piles must be clean of dirt and rocks and metal. Failure to remove unwanted material will result in additional fees or refusal of chipping.
Piles must be accessible to grinder/excavator.
Piles must be stacked out of the way so the farmers can start or continue their irrigation and planting process.

After chipping, the wood chip piles will be measured by a surveyor, after which the chips can be used as mulch.
There is no guarantee that chipping jobs on the registration waitlist will be performed in the same year.

If you are interested in a Replant Program, visit the BC Fruit Growers' Association webpage. The Replant Program is funded by BC Investment Agriculture and the Province of BC. Applications are received on a first-come, first-served basis.

Best practices

According to the Agricultural Waste Disposal Best Practices Guide, burning is not recommended for prunings, which are easily managed with a flail mower and/or a chipper. This guide and videos below offer useful information for farmers, orchardists and residents to save time and money, while benefiting the environment. The guide explains local air quality issues and offers useful information about yard waste disposal options, so that you can efficiently manage:

Orchard/vineyard removal
Pruning/yard waste
Recycling agricultural plastics

Best practices for agricultural waste disposal

Utilizing wood chips

English

Punjabi

Benefits

Benefits to chipping

Chipping:

Mulch (1-2 inches long) helps with weed control, pest control, water retention and helps prevent soil erosion.
When added to compost, the smaller chips break down and provide nutrition for the soil.
As a soil conditioner, small or partially decomposed chips break down and reintroduce organic matter (carbon) into the soil.
When used in landscaping, larger chips help reduce dust and mud.
Great for animal bedding.

Mowing:

When done well, it has little to no risk of destroying the organic matter layer.
Permits plant rejuvenation in a single step instead of two, as usually is the case with burning.
The work can be done in any weather.
Lower risk to natural allies such as beneficial predatory insects and pollinators.

Local benefits

In 2024:

2,674 cubic metres of wood were chipped on 14 local orchards, clearing 107 acres.
25 mow/chip/rent-it rebates were granted for fuel reduction, clearing 216 acres.
Residents reported spending 1,437 hours creating 283 wood piles, none of which were burned.
This effort prevented the release of 58 tonnes of particulate matter (PM2.5), 237 tonnes of carbon monoxide (CO),and20 tonnes of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air.