Today’s forest health outreach update covers the following topics:
*Forestry Tip of the Day: Encourage your neighbors to join the Challenge!
*Wildfire Mitigation Challenge Outreach: Week Number Three – Install Rock
*October Wildfire Awareness Month: Upcoming Events
*The Final Day of the Nederland Sort Yard Season is Sat. Oct. 20

*Forestry Tip of the Day: Encourage your neighbors to Join the Challenge!
Forestry Tip of the Day: You should encourage your friends and neighbors to join the Wildfire Mitigation Challenge. Just over 100 landowners from Fire Protection Districts throughout the county have already joined the challenge! The Boulder Mountain Fire Protection District currently has the highest number of residents signed up for the Challenge. The Fire Protection District with the highest percentage of landowners signed up by the end of the month will win a free county sponsored community chipping day in 2013!

Sign-up is fast and easy and you could win one of two STIHL chainsaws, a STIHL weed trimmer, one $300 gift card or twelve $100 gift cards to Indian Peaks Ace hardware in Nederland! Signup online at www.BoulderCountyWildfireAware.org

Why is this important??  Win prizes, increase the chances of your home surviving the next wildfire and make Fire Fighters jobs easier when the next fire occurs.

*Wildfire Mitigation Challenge Outreach: Week Number Three – Install Rock
Thanks to everyone who already signed up for the Wildfire Mitigation Challenge. The following information complements week # 3 challenge checklist tasks.

The theme for week number three of the Challenge is “install rock”.  You can dramatically increase the likelihood of your home surviving the next fire by installing a 3-5 noncombustible perimeter around all structures.  These actions make it much more difficult for flying embers and a grass fire to directly ignite walls, decks and other flammable building materials.

As part of this week’s challenge we highly recommend you watch the video “Be Ember Aware” to learn more about why installing rock is so important. Watch it here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjmVtC2mDaQ

The noncombustible perimeter must be maintained and kept free of pine needles, leaves and other flammable debris. Use flat surfaces like pavers, flagstone or bricks so that you can easily sweep or rake flammable debris out of this area.  Get out there this weekend and complete as many of week # 3 challenge checklist tasks as possible.

Don’t forget you can complete challenge tasks in any order and the more tasks that you finish by the end of the month the better your odds will be to win prizes.

*October Wildfire Awareness Month: Upcoming Events
We have four exciting events scheduled during the last two weeks of October Wildfire Awareness Month. Visit www.BoulderCountyWildfireAware.org and click on the “events tab” for complete descriptions about each event.
Event Highlights:
*On Friday, Oct. 19, 1:30-4:00pm, attend a symposium on climate change and forest wildfires in the mountain west. Learn from Dr. Anthony L. Westerling about our changing risks. Six Front Range counties have recognized October as Wildfire Awareness Month. Boulder, Clear Creek, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson and Larimer counties each are honoring the month in different ways. This symposium will bring together individuals from across the Front Range to discuss key regional issues concerning climate change and forest wildfire.

*On Sun., Oct. 21 take an outdoor tour of past, current and planned fuel reduction projects along Magnolia Road outside Nederland. US Forest Service and Boulder County staff will explain the history, science and rationale associated with these forestry treatments. RSVP is required for this event.

*On Tuesday, Oct. 23 learn about Firewise Communities, Fire Adapted Communities and Red Set Go! The Firewise communities program provides a number of resources and action steps homeowners can utilize to reduce their community’s risk of wildfire damage. If you want to learn more about how to encourage a greater level of wildfire mitigation in your neighborhood you should attend this program! Nationally over 800 communities are now recognized as Firewise. Is your neighborhood ready to join the program?

*On Sun. Oct. 28 take advantage of our last chipping day of the month in Coal Creek Canyon at Camp Eden.  Haul cut slash and logs under 12 inches in diameter to this chipping day. Visit our county website for complete details about what can and can’t be dropped at this event. Saws and Slaws community volunteers, the Colorado State Forest Service and Boulder County staff will help unload and chip your material.  A $5 donation is request for each load of slash to help support the Saws and Slaws Community Forestry Program (www.SawsandSlaws.com).

*The Final Day of the Nederland Sort Yard Season is Saturday Oct. 20 
There are only two days left in the Nederland sort yard season. Make sure to gather up all the remaining slash and logs that you have and haul them to this free of charge disposal site on Friday or Saturday.

Amazingly during the 2012 season the Nederland and Allenspark area sort yard sites saw an 82% increase in usage from the prior year! Over 6420 loads of slash and logs have been dropped at both sites this spring, summer and fall. Congratulations to everyone for your hard work and dedication to being a good steward of your land.

For complete details about the sort yard program visit us online at www.bouldercounty.org/property/forest/pages/fhsortyards.aspx.

Be Aware, Be Prepared, Be Firewise!

Cheers,
Ryan

Ryan Ludlow | Forestry Education & Outreach Coordinator 
Boulder County | Land Use Department
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!