To burn or not to burn? Wood that can’t be burned should be properly disposed of in local sort yards. PHOTO BY OMAYRA ACEVEDO[/caption]

This the season for changes such as fire mitigation, defensible spaces, and cleaning up property for Rocky Mountain summer living. Harvesting land is part of owning a Colorado mountain home and what helps make a house look that much more appealing.

It’s nice to know slash, or logging debris, left in the forest after a harvest can be taken to local community sort yards. That’s until recently. Due to recent changes with compost manufacturer A1 Organics, brown paper yard bags will no longer be accepted.

These are now part of the list of unacceptable items that include logs with branches, loose grass, dimensional and treated lumber, root balls, stumps, construction waste, fireplace ash, rocks, dirt, and trash.

Loads with rocks, dirt, or metal will be refused at Boulder County sort yards. This service will remain free as long as loads are kept clean and free from the items listed above.

Boulder County recommends placing noxious weeds in plastic bags and placing them in the trash or composting native grasses in your backyard. They will accept pine needles with cones as long as they don’t have grass or other forbs (small plants) mixed in.

You may continue to bring logs, chunk wood, decayed wood, conifer slash branches, broad leaf needless branches, pine cones, needles, and leaves.

The Nederland Sort Yard will reopen on May 3, 2023. It’s located at 291 Ridge Road, Nederland.

The Meeker Park Sort Yard will reopen on May 17, 2023. It’s located at 8200 Highway 7, Allenspark.

For more information visit https:// bouldercounty.gov/property-and-land/ forest-health/community-forestry-sortyards/. You can reach either sort yard at 303-678-6368.