Wild iresinthe
ColoradoFrontRange
FactSheet
Fourmile Canyon
Fire Findings
July 2012
Wild ireswillhappeninColorado.

Wild
ireplaysanecessaryroleinColorado’secosystems.However,the
interruptionofhistoric irecycleshasledtothedangerousbuildupoffuelsin
somewildlandareas.

Duringwildland
ireevents,publicand ire ightersafetyisthehighestpriority.
WhilepropertylossesexperiencedduringtheFourmileCanyonFireweretragic,
therewasnolossoflifethankstoanef icient,coordinatedemergencyresponse.

Therearenoguaranteeswhenitcomestoprotectinghomesfromwild
ires,but
whenhomeownerscreatedefensiblespaceandcommunitiesestablishfuel
treatments,chancesincreasethatstructureswillsurvive.
Wehaveasharedresponsibilitytoreducewild irerisk.

Wildland
Providing scientific
knowledge and
technology to sustain
our nation’s forests,
rangelands, and
grasslands
ire ighterscountonlandownersin ire‐proneareastoclearbrush,trees
andother lammablematerialsfromaroundhomesandmaintainthiscleared
spaceinordertomaketheirpropertiesaccessibleandsafefor ire ightersto
defend.

Drygrasses,needlelitterandbrushfueledthesurface
irethatwaslargely
responsibleforhomedestructionintheFourmileCanyon ire.Thisservesasa
reminderthatcreatingdefensiblespacenearhomesismorethanaone‐time
efforttothindensestandsoftreesandotherlargefuels—italsorequiresregular
maintenancelikekeepingtallgrassesmowed,pruningshrubsandclearingdebris
fromroofsandgutterstoremaineffective.

TheUSForestService,BureauofLandManagementandstateandcountyland
For additional information,
contact:
G. Sam Foster
RMRS Director
970-498-1353
gfoster@fs.fed.us
managementagencieswillcontinuetoworkwithprivatelandownerstoaddress
wild ireriskacrossownershipboundaries.
Actionstakenbyindividualsandagenciescanmakea
difference.

Homeownershavetheopportunitytosigni
icantlyreducethepotentialfor
wildland‐urbaninterfacedisastersbycreatingandmaintainingahomeignition
zone(HIZ).AnHIZisbasedonthedesign,materialandmaintenanceofthehome
inrelationtoitsimmediatesurroundingswithin100feet.Tolearnmoreabout
defensiblespacespeci ictoColoradoecosystemsgototheColoradoStateForest
Servicewebsiteatcsfs.colostate.edu/pages/wf‐protection.html.Tolearnmore
aboutHIZsgotowww. irewise.org.

Fueltreatmentscanaffect
irebehaviorbydiminishingtheintensityandslowing
thespreadofwild ires,whichcanprovideanoutletforresidentstoevacuate
safelyduringawild ire,andasafeentranceandexitfor ire ighters.
USDA is an equal opportunity
provider and employer

Wherewoodyfuelwasnotremovedafterafuelsreductiontreatment,
ireonthe
groundburnedmuchmoreintensely.Prescribed ireprovidesameanstoremove
excessfuelsandisaneffectivetoolwhenusedappropriately.