The city of Manitou Springs announced this week it will begin a neighborhood wood chipping program in mid-June to help residents dispose of fallen tree branches.

The announcement came following the cancellation of the June 4 chipping day due to an overwhelming amount of branches collected during the previous days.

Beginning Wednesday, June 15, the city’s woodchipper will be set up in the first of seven city neighborhoods to collect branches placed near the road. The program is scheduled to continue throughout the summer at the following locations and the dates:

• June 15 – Zone 7 (Crystal Hills)
• June 29 – Zone 4 (Crystal Park Road to Dear Path)
• July 6 – Zone 3 (Deer Path to Manitou Place)
• July 20 – Zone 1 (Ruxton Avenue)
• Aug. 3 – Zone 2 (Canon Avenue)
• Aug. 17 – Zone 5 (El Paso Boulevard)
• Aug. 31 – Zone 6 (Vias)

Acceptable materials

• Only piles of wood limbs and branches up to 4 inches in diameter
• No construction or building materials
• No trash or weeds
• No root wads, dirt or rocks
• No grass clippings
• No bags of leaves or pine needles
• No nails or wire

Pile guidelines

• Piles must be stacked by 7 a.m. on the designated day
• Piles must be neatly stacked with cut ends facing the road
• Piles must be within 5 feet of roadway (do not place on sidewalks)
• Maximum pile size is 5x5x5 feet
• No limit on the number of piles
• Leave space between each pile
• Do not combine piles with neighbors or haul material from other neighborhoods
• Do not tie or band piles