"Combs estimated that it was one of the busiest days ever for the slash yard."”

GILPIN COUNTY — The Gilpin County Public Works Department opened their slash yard for the first time ever in December, seeing record volume on the final weekend after Christmas. Residents were lined up all day long to unload slash on Friday, December 26, from the gate opening to the last load.

This unprecedented action was the consequence of hurricane force winds in late November and early December that toppled trees throughout the county. The decision by Public Works Director John Combs to reopen the Gilpin Slash Site in December added 10 days to the 2025 slash season for a total of 144 days.

Richard Conklin continued to supervise the slash yard for the December operations and recorded 533 loads between December 11 and 21.

The Gilpin County Slash Site was closed to the public on November 9, 2025. At that time, 4,071 loads had been delivered by residents to the slash yard for an average of 29 loads per day. This was slightly below 2024 levels of 4,230 total loads with an average of 30 loads per day.

In mid-December a second severe windstorm occurred, resulting in even more broken trees. Public Works opened the slash yard again on the weekend after Christmas to help clean up after this second storm.

It was short notice, but the response by the public was massive. On Friday, December 26, there were 160 loads between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m., for an average of 23 loads per hour.

Combs estimated that it was one of the busiest days ever for the slash yard. The three-day total was 311 loads, which brought total loads for December up to 844.

The final tally for 2025 was 4,915 loads for an average of 34 loads per day. It was the third busiest year in the last 15 years.

Public Works also used the slash yard to clean downfall on County property, and the Timberline Fire Mitigation unit has access to the slash yard for their year-round mitigation efforts. There is no official count as to how many loads these two government organizations added to the slash pile, but they were as busy as the county residents in dealing with the aftermath of these windstorms.

Combs said that it is going to take months to chip and remove the accumulated slash. The county chipper had been put away for the winter and will need to undergo winter maintenance before it can be used again.

Gilpin County was unique in its response to the windstorms. Boulder County didn’t reopen their Nederland or Allenspark slash yards at all, while Jefferson County reopened theirs for two weekends only.

Currently the Gilpin Slash Site is scheduled to be open from April 22 to November 8, 2026, but severe weather events might alter the schedule.

Combs will be meeting with Gilpin County Manager Ray Rears and Gilpin County CSU Extension Agent Jennifer Cook to discuss whether the County will be able to accept and treat logs infected by pine beetles.

At this time, Combs has said that the County will not be able to accept hot logs at the slash site in 2026. He doesn’t have the manpower to handle the expected volume and to grind up the infected logs in a timely manner—which is the only way to prevent the beetles  from emerging and flying off to infect more trees.

With a dry winter and warm weather, the mountain pine beetle epidemic is expected to expand significantly in 2026.

Gilpin County Public Works can be reached at 303-582-5004 for questions about their slash yard, the transfer station, and recycling. Their website is gilpincounty.colorado.gov/departments-offices/public-works.