Category: Forest Health

Cities Now Struggling From Past Fire Suppression Efforts

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We must all work together to promote Fire Adapted Communities and return the forests to a natural cycle.

Cooper, Jonathan Bruno of the Coalition for The Upper South Platte and president and owner of Wildfire Planning International Molly Mowery each said Thursday that revamped codes and regulations need to go hand-in-hand with individual responsibility in order to achieve “Fire Adapted Communities.”

Bruno is a proponent of allowing the forest to mitigate itself through ground fires. Those easily manageable blazes were the norm before the late 19th Century when people became obsessed with putting out every fire as quickly as possible. Bruno said education and mitigation to restore forests to a pre-20th Century state is like a layer cake.

He said if federal, state, regional and local officials join with homeowners associations and individual residents, the result will be a sweet one.

“This isn’t going to stop,” Bruno said, referring to increased fire activity as a result of extreme climate conditions and more and more people moving into the WUI.

Bruno and CUSP volunteers have already been thinning forests around Teller County and Park County towns, attempting to create a barrier that will slow fire and keep it low as it approaches.

Mowery believes that turning WUI areas into Fire Adapted Communities is definitely possible.

Read the entire article – Cities Now Struggling From Past Fire Suppression Efforts by the Colorado Springs Gazette

Major mitigation work continues in the Colorado Springs area

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There’s a tremendous amount of wildfire and flood mitigation work going on in the Pikes Peak Region, but much more is needed.  It’s important for government agencies, nonprofits, businesses, communities, other organizations, and individuals to all work together to mitigate the impacts of the next wildfires and floods.  When we all work together to tackle these issues on a large scale, the impact is much greater than the sum of the parts, and communities are much safer.

Check out this great article – Major mitigation work continues in the Colorado Springs area – by the Colorado Springs Gazette to learn more about current efforts and the challenges of landscape-scale mitigation.

Colorado State Forest Service Accepting Proposals to Protect Private Forestlands

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Thinking about a conservation easement?  The Colorado State Forest Service is now accepting proposals.  Completed proposals must be submitted by mail and received no later than 4 p.m. on July 25, 2014, for federal fiscal year 2016 funding.  See the announcement:

FORT COLLINS – The Colorado State Forest Service is now accepting Forest Legacy Program proposals from Colorado landowners. The program authorizes the USDA Forest Service or the CSFS to purchase permanent conservation easements on private forestlands to protect environmentally important areas and prevent those lands from being converted to non-forest uses.

The program provides an opportunity for private landowners to retain ownership and management of their land, while receiving compensation for unrealized development rights.

Forestlands that contain important scenic, cultural, recreation and water resources, including fish and wildlife habitat and other ecological values, and that support traditional forest uses, will receive priority. Landowners who elect to participate in the program are required to follow a stewardship management plan approved by the CSFS. Activities consistent with the management plan, including timber harvesting, grazing, and recreation activities are permitted.

The Colorado State Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committee will evaluate proposals and recommend to the state forester those proposals that have sufficient merit to forward to the USDA Forest Service. Forwarded proposals will then compete at a regional level; those selected at the regional level will compete nationally for funding.

For additional information or to obtain an application packet, contact Naomi Marcus at 970-491-6303. Applications also are available under the “Funding Assistance” link at http://csfs.colostate.edu.

Completed proposals must be submitted by mail and received no later than 4 p.m. on July 25, 2014, for federal fiscal year 2016 funding.

 

Why homes are lost to wildfire

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I don’t think people understand that fire is absolutely an ecological factor that needs to be accepted. So let’s celebrate the natural occurrence and be compatible with that. Because control isn’t working for us in so many ways, it’s just screwing things up, giving us the false impression that somehow or other we don’t need to be inconvenienced by this factor of the planet that we live on.

Read more from the High Country News’ conversation with Jack Cohen, a research physical fire scientist with the U.S. Forest Service.

Forest Health Internship

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Please share the below announcement with anyone who may be interested in interning with the Coalition for the Upper South Platte as a Forest Health Intern.
Click here to see the announcement document in PDF format.

 

Forest Health Internship with the Coalition for the Upper South Platte

Thank you for your interest in working with CUSP as an intern!  We value your unique perspective and skills and appreciate your personal interest in natural resource management.  We strive to make internship experiences valuable learning opportunities and we are genuinely interested in helping you reach your goals.  The following provides a general outline of the Forest Health Internship, but individual experiences can be modified based on an intern’s skills, interests, and schedule.

Job Title: Forest Health Intern

Job Description: The Forest Health Intern will assist with forest health projects throughout the watershed.  The intern will work with the field crew on wildfire restoration and fuels mitigation projects.  These projects are critically important to mitigate life-threatening post-fire flooding and reduce the risk of devastating wildfires in communities.  Fieldwork will include learning to fell trees with a chainsaw, chipping fuels, hillslope re-vegetation, erosion control projects, collecting GPS data, collecting photo data, contractor oversight, and working with volunteers.  The Forest Health Intern will also spend time with our on-staff Forester and Operations Director to assist with forest project planning, preparing for wildfire on a community-wide level, and implementing forest health projects on private and public lands.  In addition to learning about forest health, the intern will also have a chance to explore other aspects of natural resources management of interest and gain insight into the general operations of a highly collaborative watershed nonprofit.

Learning Goals

  • Interns will understand the challenges of natural resource management and how stakeholders can work together to promote watershed health
  • Interns will gain a deeper understanding of how forest health work is carried out in practice
  • Interns will gain on-the-ground experience doing forest health/wildfire mitigation projects and wildfire restoration projects

Certifications and Trainings

  • Chainsaw operation and safety training
  • Firefighting training and certification
  • Other trainings may also be available during the course of the internship

Expected Work Week: 20-40 hours per week, with some weekends required

Expected Duration: June 2 – August 8 (10 weeks)

Compensation: $12 per hour

Location:  Most work will be based out of our office in Lake George, CO and fieldwork will occur throughout the Upper South Platte Watershed and connecting watersheds.

Supervisor: Jonathan Bruno, Operations Director

Preferred Skills and Qualifications: 

  • Desire to learn more about natural resource management and environmental sciences
  • Coursework and/or experience in natural resource management, forestry, environmental science, or related discipline
  • Ability to work in a physically demanding environment, including hiking up steep slopes, handling a chainsaw, and working in exposed, mountainous areas
  • Organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills
  • Ability to adapt to changing situations and evolving project needs
  • Ability to work effectively and professionally as part of a team
  • Access to personal transportation to get to and from CUSP’s office in Lake George

Description of the Coalition for the Upper South Platte (CUSP):  The Coalition for the Upper South Platte is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the water quality and ecological health of the Upper South Platte Watershed, through the cooperative efforts of watershed stakeholders, with emphasis placed on community values and economic sustainability.  CUSP collaborates with partners and stakeholders to promote the health of the watershed through projects focused on river and stream restoration, forest health, water quality, habitat and recreation, environmental education, volunteerism, energy, monitoring and assessment, and wildfire restoration and protection. http://uppersouthplatte.org

CUSPmap2

To Apply: Please send a cover letter and resume by email to Amy Jacobi, Communications and Education Coordinator, at amy@uppersouthplatte.org by May 1, 2014

CO health officials may allow more controlled burns in forests

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GOLDEN — Trying to prevent catastrophic wildfires, federal crews torched more than 40,000 piles of dead wood this past year in snow-laden Colorado forests.

And state health authorities may allow more controlled burns over broad areas. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has agreed to expand an experiment that relaxes smoke permitting so that burn crews can operate more freely.

While controlled fires that mimic natural cycles can protect communities and revive dying forests, they also produce smoke at potentially unhealthy levels, state air quality officials warned in a meeting last week.

Read the rest of the article in the Denver Post.

Data Tools Webinar Series

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The Nature Conservancy’s LANDFIRE Project and the Joint Fire Science Program are teaming up to host a series of webinars focused on how to use data resources to assist with decision-making for landscape projects.  These tools are designed to be usable in both fire and non-fire actives.  Check out the flyer to learn more.

March 20: Assessing Needs

April 23: Customizing Data