Sheriff Pelle Orders Outdoor Fire Ban effective Tuesday, March 27 at 10:30am

Boulder County has seen little moisture over the past month and fire conditions continue to worsen as little relief is anticipated. In addition, Red Flag Fire and high wind warnings and watches have continued to be issued almost weekly. The National Weather Service had declared March 2012 as the driest month on record. These weather conditions along with a series of at least three human-caused fires have prompted Sheriff Joe Pelle to pro-actively respond by issuance of a Fire Ban.

State statutes authorize counties to impose a fire ban when “the occurrence or imminent threat of widespread or severe damage, injury, loss of life or property resulting from any natural cause or cause of human origin, including but not limited to fire…”

Responding to the current threats and conditions, Sheriff Joe Pelle has enacted a fire ban is in effect and open burning is restricted. The sale of fireworks and use of fireworks and model rockets is prohibited in all unincorporated areas of Boulder County. The Sherriff request that outdoor recreational shooting be considered hazardous and the public should take great caution or even refrain from these activities.

The Fire Ban allows for:

• Fire contained within Liquid or gas fuel stoves
• Camp fires in currently open to the public USFS improved/maintained campgrounds
• Charcoal grill fires on private lands

It bans all other open fire, the use of any kind of fireworks and model rockets.

The restrictions will take effect at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 27^th, 2012.  Advisory signs will be posted on roadways countywide by the end of this week.

The Fire ban will remain in effect until the hazardous fire conditions subside.

Anyone found in violation of the Fire Ban may be convicted of a class 2 petty offense and may be subject to a $500 fine. Higher fines may be imposed for subsequent offenses.

Forest Stewardship Tip of the Day: Clean out your Gutters

Forestry Tip of the Day: Right now is a good time to get out your ladder (or borrow one from a neighbor) and head up to your roof to clean pine needles out of your gutters and remove any debris that has accumulated on your roof.

Why is this simple task important?? Flying hot embers are a major reason that homes are lost during wildfires. During big fires embers blow great distances ahead of the main fire front. Upon contact with our homes these embers flow like water down our roof lines and collect in pine needle filled gutters. By removing the pine needles you can help reduce the likelihood of embers igniting your home.

The Colorado State Forest Service has a wealth of information available online about other actions you can take to improve the chances of your home surviving the next fire. Visit: http://csfs.colostate.edu/pages/pub-home-land-owners.html#wildfireprotection for more info.

We need your Help – Volunteer as a Community Forestry Sort Yard Host!

Volunteer Community Forestry Sort Yard Hosts are needed at the Allenspark and Nederland Community Forestry Sort Yards to make sure that the yards continue to be a local hub of community-based forestry information.

Volunteer Sort Yard Hosts will greet people as they enter the yard, collect data on the material they are delivering, provide outreach to sort yard users about forest ecology, bark beetles, and wildfire mitigation. Volunteers will not be responsible for helping unload logs and slash. 

This summer the Allenspark Sort Yard will operate May 1 to July 7 from 9am to 5pm, Tuesday-Saturday. We are looking for individuals who can commit to 4 hour shifts, a minimum of 15 hours per month.  Our greatest needs are Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The Nederland Sort Yard will operate Fridays and Saturdays from May 18 to June 9, 9am to 5pm. We are looking for individuals who can commit to 2-3 hour shifts, a minimum of 10 hours total volunteer commitment.

Application deadline is April 27th and training is scheduled for May 5th. For more information and/or to receive a volunteer application, contact Shane Milne at 303-678-6089 orsmilne@nullbouldercounty.org.

Visit http://www.bouldercounty.org/live/environment/land/pages/fhsortyards.aspx for further info about our Community Forestry Sort Yard Program including the 2012 operational schedule. 

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