Boulder County extends wildfire mitigation efforts

Though the Marshall Fire was more than a year ago, its impact is still top of mind for many area residents. It has made the threat of wildfires, including grassland and urban wildfires, more apparent to Boulder County residents.

In addition, recent years have seen extensive summer months with rural wildfires in close proximity to the Front Range. Those fires bring secondary impacts including resident displacements, air quality issues and ground instability which contributes to flooding and erosion.

Recently, Boulder County took the first steps toward actions that address these concerns. The Boulder County Commissioners announced plans to strengthen the county's wildfire mitigation efforts by approving 12 new staff positions that will assist in further developing wildfire mitigation programs and provide direct assistance in overall efforts to avoid the devastating effects of wildfires. Nine of the positions are funded by the sales and use tax created by the recently approved ballot measure 1A, and three of them are funded by the general fund.

"We've been working on mitigation for 30 years, but now we need to do more," said Jim Webster, the County's Wildfire Partners Program Coordinator. "We're looking to increase the pace and scale of mitigation measures on the ground as well as build new programs along with internal partners. Increased staff capacity can make this possible."

Part of this effort includes restoring more forest lands to a healthier state, which would help forests resist or weather fire impacts. Efforts will also continue to address grasslands fire prevention, which could impact more urban and suburban fires similar to the Marshall Fire. Efforts in this area include ditch clean up and ecologically-sensitive efforts on open space to remove vegetation that potentially serves as fire fuel.

Specific staff positions designed to support the program include an outreach and education staff person, a forester, a grant administration staff person, a customer-service-oriented phone coordinator who can answer questions, and two wildfire mitigation specialists who work with homeowners and communities to prepare homes and create fire-defensible space.

Programs these positions support include a grant program for strategic forest and grassland management projects. These positions will also help to expand the county's Wildfire Partners program, which supports homeowners in preparing for and protecting their homes against wildfire threats. Similar to the Energy Smart program, trained representatives will work directly with homeowners to reduce vulnerability to fires.

The staff positions will be visible to residents throughout Boulder County and recruitment for them will take place throughout the spring.

"We are one community," Webster said. "A wildfire along the Front Range will impact us here in Boulder County. Even if we don't live in a burn area, air, water quality, housing and other impacts affect us all. This is one thing we can do within Boulder County to reduce the risk of something happening."

He added that because this area is considered wildfire adapted, ecosystems are designed to thrive with periodic fires but a focus on preparation and management for fires can make the difference. "The goal really is to live with wildfire, not eliminate it, to help everyone prepare."