By Spencer Weston, Supervisory Forester with the Franktown Field Office of the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS)
More than 3 million Coloradans live in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), where homes and other structures intermingle with wildland vegetation. There’s also a risk of being affected by wildfire for folks who live in the WUI. Wildfire mitigation actions are critical to reduce the risk of damage from wildfire, and community-wide wildfire mitigation activities are more effective and efficient than individuals working on their properties alone. Homeowner associations are often well positioned to organize and lead community wildfire mitigation efforts.
What are wildfire mitigation activities?
Wildfire mitigation refers to actions that reduce the risk of damage from wildfires, and these steps can look different depending on the needs of your community. If an HOA is just getting started with wildfire mitigation, members may consider creating a Community Wildfire Protection Plan. These plans usually bring together diverse local interests to work toward common goals for public safety, sustainability and natural resources. They often include information about local firefighting capability, tips for homeowners and plans for land management.
Neighborhoods and homeowner associations are all unique, and the wildfire mitigation activities chosen for your HOA should reflect the needs of the residents and surrounding area. Geography, vegetation type, age of homes and distance between structures all affect how each HOA approaches wildfire mitigation. Here’s a list of some wildfire mitigation activities that various HOAs have undertaken:
- Create a committee to lead wildfire mitigation efforts
- Organize neighborhood clean-up days and share equipment costs
- Conduct emergency evacuation drills
- Hire seasonal mitigation staff
- Hire experts to perform defensible space assessments for residents
- Apply for grants from the Colorado State Forest Service
- Produce educational and outreach materials for residents
Wildfire mitigation in action: Roxborough Park Foundation
The 2002 Hayman Fire triggered pre-evacuation warnings for the residents of the Roxborough Park Foundation (RPF). The largest wildfire in state history at the time ignited action among the people of RPF, and they quickly formed the Fire Mitigation Committee, a group of resident volunteers who lead fire mitigation efforts for the RPF. Since the group’s founding, they’ve made great progress protecting their properties from the risk of damage from wildfires. Funding from the Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation grant program and assistance from the local Colorado State Forest Service Field Office resulted in a lot of work completed in the area:
- 33 individual properties had defensible space assessments
- 983 cubic yards of mulch produced
- 4 community-owned common areas mitigated for wildfire risk along primary evacuation routes
- 22 acres treated dense Gambel oak with intermixed hawthorn and native plum
Wildfire mitigation resulted in some additional unexpected benefits.
“Many of the participating residents had been working on their properties for several years and were excited to finally reach a mitigated state. Now they can focus on the easier job of maintaining the mitigation. Every participating resident was very pleased with the enhanced safety and look of their property,” reported the Fire Mitigation Committee.
Resources for wildfire mitigation
Residents can take steps year-round to protect their properties from wildfire, and efforts at the town, neighborhood or homeowner association-level improve the outcomes of those individual efforts. When communities work together, we help protect each other and improve the effectiveness of all wildfire mitigation actions. The Colorado State Forest Service has resources for all levels of wildfire mitigation, from funding opportunities to the Home Ignition Zone guide. Contact your local field office for more information.
About the author: Spencer Weston is the Supervisory Forester with the Franktown Field Office of the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS). The Franktown Field Office of the CSFS is one of 17 field offices throughout Colorado, serving Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties. Our mission is to achieve stewardship of Colorado’s diverse forest environments for the benefit of present and future generations.
