Last fall, the Fourmile Canyon fire in Boulder burned 2,000 acres and destroyed 169 homes. This spring, the Indian Creek fire outside Golden burned more than 1,200 acres, and the Crystal fire near Fort Collins destroyed four homes.
These fires forced hundreds from their homes and resulted in millions of dollars in damage and suppression costs. This pattern of catastrophic wildfire is being repeated over and over again along the Front Range: Buffalo Creek in 1996, Hi Meadow in 2000, and Hayman in 2002. Right now, there are large wildfires burning in southern Colorado, and crews for the Forest Service and our interagency partners are working to put them out.
An aggressive attempt to suppress wildfire over the past century has allowed forests to become densely stocked with live trees, brush and dead wood. There are more trees in the ponderosa pine forests now than ever before. Wildfires can jump into nearby treetops, and the resulting fast-moving crown fire can consume everything in its path. In short, our forests are more prone to wildfires than ever before, threatening our water supply, our communities and our economy.
In national forests across the Rocky Mountain Region, we are working hard to reduce the potential for catastrophic wildfires and to restore healthy forests. Forest Service crews are constructing fuel breaks, conducting prescribed burns, and thinning in those areas where forests and neighborhoods meet in the wildland urban interface (WUI). Undertaking these efforts helps return the forest to a condition that is more resistant to catastrophic wildfire or insect and disease outbreaks.
Prescribed burns introduce fire back into the ecosystem. Our fire managers and crews intentionally burn areas of the forest, but only under specific, predetermined weather conditions so that the dangerous fuel is consumed yet the remaining forest is unharmed. Just last week, we used fire to reduce fuels on 500 acres at Sheep Creek in the Arapaho National Forest in northern Colorado. Chainsaws and other mechanized equipment are used to thin the forest. The Forest Service will continue to aggressively thin areas impacted by bark beetles to protect our critical infrastructure from the impacts of falling trees.
Even with all of these efforts, wildfires will occur. Some of these fires will be beneficial to the land and will be monitored as they move naturally across the landscape. Others will threaten people, homes, or important natural and cultural resources, and they will be put out as quickly and efficiently as possible.
It’s important to remember that fire is a natural occurrence in our forested ecosystems. The most beneficial are those periodic low-intensity fires that stay near the ground and consume dead and dying trees, logs and brush. Historically, such fires naturally thinned the forest, leaving most of the live trees unharmed.
The wildland firefighters who protect our communities are part of a larger interagency network that includes the Forest Service. Since wildland fire knows no boundaries, neither does our way to fight it. Local, state, tribal and federal firefighters all work together to respond to these wildfires. By combining our strengths and resources, we are more effective.
However, there is one more part of this effort: You can help the firefighters help you. Thousands of communities are located in fire-prone areas in the WUI and residents must adapt. Homeowners can create defensible space around their homes by clearing brush and downed limbs and keeping rooftops free of debris. Our state partners will help communities develop wildfire protection plans and give homeowners the tools they need to reduce the risk of wildfire to their homes.
Many of the fires over the last few months were caused by man, and can be prevented. Please be careful and heed local restrictions. But remember, there will be more fires. Regardless of our best efforts, the condition of the forest plays a huge role in the amount of damage and loss we can expect.
Rick Cables is regional forester for the Rocky Mountain Region of the U.S. Forest Service.
