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