Announcement: Sheriff Joe Pelle enacts a fire ban effective today at noon Thursday, June 30.

Responding to the current threats and conditions, Sheriff Joe Pelle has enacted a Fire Ban on open burning and the discharge of any and all fireworks in the mountain areas of Boulder County which include the areas west of the North and South Foothills Highways and areas east of the Peak to Peak Highway. To see complete details about this burn ban read the Sheriff’s press release (http://www.bouldercounty.org/apps/newsroom/templates/bc.aspx?articleid=2702&zoneid=1).

We encourage everyone on this email list to help spread the word in your community about this fire ban. Here is an excerpt from Sheriff Pelle’s press release — The Northern Front Range of Colorado is now rapidly entering summer drying conditions. The danger of wildfire has increased rapidly over the course of the last few weeks. The recent wildfires in Boulder County have shown how hazardous and explosive the conditions are becoming. The upcoming holiday weekend will increase the usage of the forest by the public.  In addition to the ongoing dry lightning in the area, this will increase the possibility of an unwanted ignition to occur. Additionally, federal and state firefighting resources are limited due to assignment assisting with the current wildland fires across the southwest and southeast.

Forest Stewardship Tip of the Day: How is your home’s defensible space doing?

This summer the foothills have been buzzing with sounds of chainsaws, chippers and trees hitting the ground.  The Fourmile fire and other recent fires have made everyone all too aware of the impacts wildland fire can have on our forested communities. The county’s community forestry sort yard just north of Nederland has been receiving huge volumes of logs and slash from foothills landowners.  Keep up the good work everyone! The Nederland site closes for the season on July 9, so you still have a bit of time left to haul your slash and logs to our site for free of charge disposal.

Here are a few easy things you can do this weekend to improve your home’s defensible space:

• Cut your grass! This relatively easy action can dramatically improve your homes chances of surviving the next wildfire.  Keep dead, dry or curing grasses cut to less than 6 inches.  The further out from your home you weed whip the better!
• Clean up pine needles! Clean out pine needles from your gutters and right next to the house and wood decks. Pine needles are highly flammable and this simple step might save your home.
• Move firewood piles and other flammable materials! It is not a good idea to keep anything flammable within 30 feet of your home.  Many homes have burned in past fires from woodpiles and other flammable material igniting as a fire passed. Check under your deck too! Don’t keep scrap wood, debris or other items stored underneath decks.

Attached to this email is a publication called “Creating Wildfire-Defensible Zones” that we encourage everyone to read.  This guide includes additional actions that you should be taking around your home.  The short list mentioned above are only three of the many actions you should take to improve the chances of your home surviving the next fire.  Please contact us if you have any questions related to defensible space improvement projects! 

SPRINGERVILLE, Ariz.- U.S. Forest Service officials say forest restoration work implemented under the White Mountains Stewardship Contract – part of a cooperative project among conservationists, local communities and government agencies – has lessened the severity of the Wallow fire and helped firefighters save towns threatened by the flames. Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest Supervisor Chris Knopp told the Associated Press on Thursday that he credited treatments with helping to save Alpine, Nutrioso and Springerville. A district ranger from the same forest told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday that restoration treatments aided firefighters’ ability to save homes in the White Mountains.

To read the rest of the article visit the Center for Biological Diversity’s website:  http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2011/wallow-fire-06-10-2011.html

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@nullbouldercounty.org | www.bouldercounty.org/ForestHealth