Forest Stewardship Tip of the Day: Prescribed Fire to take place Wed. Oct. 5 at Hall Ranch near Lyons

Boulder County Parks and Open Space is planning to ignite a prescribed fire at Hall Ranch Open Space near Lyons on Wednesday, October 5, 2011. (weather permitting) The proposed burn area is approximately 66 acres in size and is located near the Nelson Loop trail, just west of the prairie dog area.

Fire is being used as one of many of the diverse management tools to reduce tree density and surface fuel loadings. This treatment will help maintain an open ponderosa pine forest, which will help reduce the severity of damage from a wildland fire. The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Lyons Fire Protection District, and other wildland fire agencies will assist.

While the prescribed burn is in progress, there may be heavy smoke in the air, as well as reduced visibility.  It is advised that you keep your windows closed, pets indoors, and/or arrange to be elsewhere during that time. Hall Ranch Open Space will be closed during the active ignition phase of the burn.  The burn will be monitored until declared out.

For more information or status updates please visit:http://www.bouldercounty.org/government/dept/pages/pos.aspx

Forestry Article of Interest: From the New York Times

This article in The New York Times, “With Deaths of Forests, a Loss of Key Climate Protectors,” discusses forests in the West affected by the pine beetle epidemic in the context of climate change and other forests around the world:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/science/earth/01forest.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&sq=forests&st=cse&scp=2

Reminder: Nederland Sort Yard reopens this Friday Oct. 7

The Nederland area sort yard will reopen on Fridays and Saturdays for four weekends in October. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29.

The Allenspark area sort yard is also currently open Tuesday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This north county site is schedule to close at 5 p.m. Saturday Oct. 15.

For complete details about our Community Forestry Sort Yard Program please visitwww.BoulderCounty.org/ForestHealth.

Cheers,
Ryan

Ryan Ludlow | Forestry Education & Outreach Coordinator
Boulder County | Land Use Department
P.O. Box 471, Boulder CO 80306
O: 720.564.2641 | F: 303.441.4856
rludlow@bouldercounty.org | www.bouldercounty.org/ForestHealth

*Please visit our website to sign-up to receive emails about forestry workshops, community meetings, bark beetle management tips and more!

It is a great resource for any one in the area who needs questions answered about beetles, bugs, fungi or any other things that effect the health of the forest.

–Luke Finn

Forest Stewardship Tip of the Day: Bark Beetle Surveys Should Happen Soon!

Right now is a good time of year to start thinking about getting out in your woods to survey for the presence of newly infested mountain pine beetle trees.  The Fall (after about Sept. 15) is the best time to survey for newly infested trees because signs of beetle attack are the most obvious and infested material cut in the fall and early winter will have many months to dry out before beetles fly again in the summer of 2012. Another reason that fall beetle surveying is recommended is because it gives you the longest amount of time to figure out a game plan to deal with the infested trees.

Some landowners have found it useful to survey their entire property and flag all of the infested trees with ribbon or paint before they begin cutting trees. By having a total count of newly infested trees you will have a better understanding about how much work you will need to complete before beetles fly from your infested trees next summer.

We attached a couple of bark beetle management guides to this email to help you learn how to identify infested trees and to understand what types of treatment options are available. As always, if you have questions about beetle management please give us a call or email.  

Announcement: The Sheriff’s Office has lifted Fire Restrictions in Boulder County

Recent cooler temperatures and moisture have dropped the fire-danger rating in Boulder County. All fire restrictions were lifted, September 7, 2011 at 12:00 p.m.  It may take a few days for county personnel to remove all the “fire ban” signs posted throughout the county, but no enforcement action will be taken.

Upcoming Forestry Training: 2011 Forestry Fair in Fort Collins on Sept. 17

The Colorado State Forest Service and the Warner College of Natural Resources at CSU invite you to the 2011 Forestry Fair and help us celebrate the International Year of Forests. The Forestry Fair will feature forestry equipment demonstrations, facility tours, educational sessions, children’s activities and the latest innovations in forest products. Come explore careers and learn about the role active forest and wildfire management plays in the conservation of resources that we all share, including water, wildlife, recreation and wood.

This free event will take place at the Colorado State Forest Service facilities on the Colorado State University Foothills Campus, 3843 LaPorte Ave., Fort Collins from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. on September 17.

For more information or to register for this no-cost event, contact CSFS_ForestryFair@mail.colostate.edu. See the attached flier for more details.

Boulder County’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan Video Series: Fourmile Fire One Year Anniversary

September 6th was the one year anniversary of the Fourmile Canyon Fire. It is a day we should remember everyone impacted by the fire and commemorate those who worked so hard to help their fellow residents. Watch the video Saving Gold Hill to revisit the story of just how close we came to losing this historic community.

Saving Gold Hill: A Story of the Fourmile Canyon Fire

The Fourmile Canyon Fire threatened the historic town of Gold Hill. “I left town, had a tear in my eye at the bottom of the canyon saying wow we just lost our town,” recalls Dave Hitchcock.  Residents and firefighters tell this remarkable story of just how close they came to losing their homes and their historic community. One volunteer fire fighter, Andrew Martinek, describes the day air support arrived to help save Gold Hill, “All day we were waiting for air support, waiting for air support, and it was never coming. We thought Gold hill was going to burn.  And then finally at the end of the day, number 54 bombed and dropped retardant up the back of all these houses right on the line.  He dropped in low and painted all these houses red perfectly with retardant.”  The success story of Gold Hill has many heroes to thank and numerous lessons to learn for the next time wildfire threatens this county.

Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/user/BoulderCounty#p/c/466B051AC3E3C8BE/0/-iMU5BsoCRY
Cheers,

Ryan

Ryan Ludlow | Forestry Education & Outreach Coordinator
Boulder County | Land Use Department
P.O. Box 471, Boulder CO 80306
O: 720.564.2641 | F: 303.441.4856
rludlow@bouldercounty.org | www.bouldercounty.org/ForestHealth

Announcement: Sheriff Joe Pelle enacts a fire ban effective immediately!

Please be aware that Sheriff Joe Pelle has enacted a fire ban, which restricts open burning and prohibits the discharge of any and all fireworks and model rockets in the unincorporated mountain areas of Boulder County. The ban went into effect yesterday, Thursday Sept. 1, 2011.

The Boulder County foothills have continued to dry out after months of moderate moisture. Currently, Boulder County has a high fire danger rating, as determined by the National Weather Service National Fire Danger rating System. This is due to a combination of dry fuels, hot and dry weather and an increase in regional wildland fire activity.

It is anticipated that with the continued late summer and early fall drying season and the expected beginning of the Chinook winds, Boulder County will continue to have a high fire danger rating.

Please view our Press Release to see complete fire ban details. http://www.bouldercounty.org/apps/newsroom/templates/bc.aspx?articleid=2776&zoneid=1

Announcement: Nederland Sort Yard to reopen for four weekends in October

We are happy to announce that the Nederland area sort yard will reopen on Fridays and Saturdays for four weekends in October. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29. For complete details about our Community Forestry Sort Yard Program please visitwww.BoulderCounty.org/ForestHealth.

Forest Stewardship Tip of the Day: Take a look at our Draft Boulder County Community Wildfire Protection Plan!

The draft Boulder County Community Wildfire Protection Plan is available for review on our website, www.bouldercountycwpp.org.

A public hearing on the plan will be held on September 6, 2011 from 9:00-10:00 in the Commissioners Hearing Room on the Third Floor of the Boulder County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl Street. We encourage everyone to attend. Please send written comments on the draft to Jim Webster, Boulder County Land Use’s Community Wildfire Protection Planner at jbwebster@bouldercounty.org by September 14th.

On Tuesday, the commissioners advanced a proposal to create a Boulder County Mountains Forest Improvement District to the November 1 ballot. More information is available at www.bouldercounty.org under the article, County Commissioners refer four issues to the November ballot.

Next week, the commissioners will also declare October as Wildfire Awareness Month throughout the county. The logo for the month is attached. We are working on a number of events for the month. We will send out more information to you over the next few weeks.

Boulder County’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan: How to Insure your Home CWPP Video

Here is the next CWPP video for you to take a look at as part of Boulder County’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan. This video focuses on how to insure your home against wildfires!
Properly Insure Your Home Against Wildfire

Many homeowners assume their insurance coverage will allow them to rebuild if their home is destroyed by a wildfire. Bruce Honeyman, who lost his home in the Fourmile Fire, shares his experience, “Insurance companies choose estimating tools, Xactimate for example, to give the cost of a home.  Our experience with our insurance company and their use of Xactimate was that it came in 50-60% of what the actual cost from our independent contractor was to rebuild the home.”  A survey following the Fourmile Fire found that over 60 percent of people who lost their homes were under-insured by an average amount of over $160,000. Under-insurance is a common problem in wildfire after wildfire across the country. This video contains vital information for homeowners so they can properly insure their home against wildfire.

Direct link to the Insurance video:

http://www.youtube.com/user/BoulderCounty#p/c/034D4EED3629C14A/0/MMNtIzlTsbg

A complete list of CWPP videos are available to view online at the following website:http://www.youtube.com/user/BoulderCounty#g/c/466B051AC3E3C8BE

For more information on the Community Wildfire Protection Plan, please visit:

http://www.bouldercounty.org/live/environment/land/pages/lucwppmain.aspx

Cheers,
Ryan

Ryan Ludlow | Forestry Education & Outreach Coordinator
Boulder County | Land Use Department
P.O. Box 471, Boulder CO 80306
O: 720.564.2641 | F: 303.441.4856
rludlow@bouldercounty.org | www.bouldercounty.org/ForestHealth

Forest Stewardship Tip of the Day: It’s getting dry out there!

Our trees and grasses continue to dry out in the summer heat and now is a very important time to think about improving your homes defensible space. We are quickly approaching the one year anniversary of the Fourmile Fire and with the current drying conditions it is a good time to evaluate your homes defensible space. There are many actions that you can take right now which will help improve the likelihood of your home surviving the next fire. In past listserv emails we sent out easy mitigation actions that we thought we would resend today as a friendly reminder.

Forest Stewardship Tip of the Day: Cutting Tips During MPB Flight

We are quickly approaching the heart of our annual mountain pine beetle (MPB) flight window (mid-July to mid-Sept). During the flight window there is typically a two week window in mid-Aug. called “mass flight” when a vast majority of MPBs fly concurrently. You should be careful when cutting during beetle flight time because MPBs are moderately attracted to the “smells” of freshly cut pine trees.  If you are cutting during flight time extra steps should be taken to avoid inadvertently attracting beetles to your forest.  

Tips for cutting during flight:

• Cut and haul material out of your forest to a disposal site as quickly as possible. By quickly hauling material out of the woods you can remove some of the fresh cut “smells” that attract beetles to your land.
• If you can’t haul material off site then you should cut and stack material in a sunny location away from high value trees. Beetles generally attack in pockets, infesting living trees near the location of the cut trees and logs. By dragging cut material away from high value trees you can help direct the attracted beetles into a less valuable section of forest. 
• Avoid chipping freshly cut material back onto the land during beetle flight. Freshly chipped green material sends out those same “smells” that can attract beetles to you land. 
• During and after the project is complete you should survey the remaining trees in the cutting area for signs of beetle infestation. If infested trees are located, remove these trees during the fall and winter months before beetles have a chance to fly to other living trees during next summer’s annual flight. 
• During beetle flight you can cut dead trees and low limb dead branches without worrying about attracting beetles. Beetles are only attracted to logs and slash that are still green with moisture remaining in the material. Beetle flight time is also a good time of year to cut your grass and clean out gutters to help improve fire mitigation around your home!

In general, the best time of year (in relation to beetle management) to be in the woods cutting is from October thru mid-March. All species of bark beetles are the least active during these cooler months and much less likely to attack your trees. In addition, cutting in the fall and winter gives you the ability to lay cut logs and slash out in sunny locations to help facilitate the drying of the material; which will make it less attractive to beetles when they begin flying again next summer.  You also have the ability to chip freshly cut material back onto the forest floor during these cool months without worry of attracting beetles to your land.

Cutting during flight isn’t the best timing for bark beetle management; however if the goals of your cutting project are to improve your defensible space then it is recommend you continue to cut. Our forests are quickly drying out from the hot summer sun and the benefits you gain from creating better defensible space around your home will always outweigh the risk of beetle infestation!

Announcement: Allenspark Area Sort Yard Opens Next Week – Tuesday Aug. 9

The Allenspark area sort yard is scheduled to open next Tuesday, Aug. 9 at 9 a.m.  The site is scheduled to remain open through Oct. 15, 2011. This site is a free of charge location where landowners can drop-off logs and slash. Please keep in mind that the site does not accept logs that are currently-infested with mountain pine beetle until after Sept. 15. If you need help determining if your logs are currently infested feel free to contact us. When the site opens next week it will accept any type of slash as well as logs that are currently-infested with Ips (aka Pine Engraver Beetle) and twig beetles. We also accept clean logs cut during fire mitigation and forest health improvement projects that are free of beetles.

Complete details including hours of operation and location of this free disposal site can be found online by visiting:http://www.bouldercounty.org/live/environment/land/pages/fhsortyards.aspx.

Board of County Commissioners Public Hearing – Nederland Community Forestry Sort Yard One Year Review

Date: Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Place: Commissioners Hearing Room, Third Floor, Boulder County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl Street

Boulder County would like to invite area residents to attend a Board of County Commissioners public hearing to discuss the first year of operation of the Nederland area community forestry sort yard. County staff will present an overview of the first year of operation including sort yard usage, total days of operation and the amount of material collected during the first year of operation. This public hearing was requested by the public during the original approval of the Land Use Docket LU-09-0010: Boulder County Forestry Processing and Sort Yard.

All persons interested in the Nederland area sort yard site are requested to attend the hearing and aid the Commissioners in their considerations.  The sort yard is a brand new service for residents in the Nederland area and the County wants to make sure that we are providing residents the best in public service at our sort yard.

Free parking in the City of Boulder CAGID lots is available for Board of County Commissioners’ hearing participants. See the staff at the lobby desk for city parking vouchers. Persons needing special services provided under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact Julia Yager, ADA Coordinator for the Boulder County Human Resources office (303-441-3508) at least 48 hours before the scheduled hearing.

Cheers,
Ryan

Ryan Ludlow | Forestry Education & Outreach Coordinator
Boulder County | Land Use Department
P.O. Box 471, Boulder CO 80306
O: 720.564.2641 | F: 303.441.4856
rludlow@bouldercounty.org | www.bouldercounty.org/ForestHealth

Forest Stewardship Tip of the Day: Watch out for ips beetles infesting firewood piles

Many of you have been out this summer cutting green trees from around your home to help improve your home’s defensible space. Often we decide to keep some of those freshly cut logs on site for use as future firewood. This is a great use of the logs and is encouraged.  However, did you know that freshly cut logs stacked as firewood are at risk of being infested by ips beetles?  When keeping freshly cut logs for firewood it is recommended that you take action to help dry out those logs as quickly as possible.

• Help dry out your logs! – Ips beetles infest logs that are still green, heavy and have moisture remaining in them.  One way to facilitate faster drying of logs is to buck, split and spread the firewood sized pieces in thin layer with the bark facing the sun.  This technique will expedite the drying of the wood and reduce the duration the logs are susceptible to ips beetle infestation.
• Cut and split firewood in the fall! – The fall and winter months are the best time to harvest firewood from your forest.  By cutting, bucking, splitting and spreading firewood out in the sun during the cooler months we reduce the potential of ips beetles infesting our firewood piles when they begin flying again in the spring.
• Harvest red and dead!- A great source of firewood are the trees that have been standing dead in the forest for more than a year.  These trees are already dry, do not attract new beetles and are ready to burn.  This is one of the best ways to avoid ips beetles infesting freshly cut firewood.
• Don’t do this…!- Don’t keep fresh firewood stacked in huge deep piles. Don’t put firewood piles in shady locations where they won’t be heated by the sun. Don’t locate firewood piles near high value trees.

You can determine if your log pile is infested with IPS beetles by looking for little piles of “frass” or saw dusk looking material accumulating on the tops of the logs. Frass is a sign beetles are feeding underneath the bark of those trees.   Feel free to call or email to discuss firewood pile management in more detail. 

Forest Health Outreach – Schedule of Upcoming Forestry Events:

What: Nederland Area Community Forestry Sort Yard Meeting
When: Tuesday, July 12, 7-9 p.m.
Where: Nederland Community Center, 750 Highway 72 North 

Tonight, Tuesday July 12, the County is hosting a community meeting in Nederland to gather community feedback about how the first year of operation of the yard went for the community.  The sort yard is a brand new service for residents in the area and the County wants to make sure that we are providing forest landowners the best in public service at the yard. If you are unable to attend the meeting and would like to submit written comments feel free to do so by emailingpinebeetle@bouldercounty.org by Friday July 15.  We look forward to seeing you at the meeting tonight!

Cheers,
Ryan

Ryan Ludlow | Forestry Education & Outreach Coordinator
Boulder County | Land Use Department
P.O. Box 471, Boulder CO 80306
O: 720.564.2641 | F: 303.441.4856
rludlow@bouldercounty.org | www.bouldercounty.org/ForestHealth