Lake County has acknowledged the severe implications of wildfires, prompting an updated approach through the Community Wildfire Protection Planning (CWPP) process. This revamped CWPP employs a data-driven strategy to prioritize lands for fuel treatment and forest health initiatives. As evidenced over the past two decades, especially during the 2020 fire season, wildfires have far-reaching consequences for the ecosystem, affecting fish, wildlife, water quality, and human interests. These impacts linger, leading to post-fire issues such as flooding, ash flows, and debris events. In Lake County, the aftermath of wildfires threatens both agricultural and municipal water supplies. Beyond the typical challenges of sediment and ash, there's the risk of reversing years of remedial work on historic mines by agencies like DRMS and CDPHE. These proposed projects aim to diminish wildfire effects and enrich forest diversity, enhancing habitats for numerous species.
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The Challenge:
Lake County’s serene landscapes hide a growing concern: the escalating risk of wildfires. Our mountain communities, like many others, have witnessed the detrimental effects of fire, exacerbated by factors like climate change, beetle infestations, and a history of fire suppression. Lake County’s updated Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP - Link to: ) indicates heightened risks in Lake County, particularly in Spruce-Fir and Lodgepole Pine forests.
In addition to threatening our forests, homes, recreational areas, and other infrastructure, wildfires in Lake County have the potential to uncover waste from the region’s extensive mining history. Post-fire flooding could unleash the harmful remnants from these operations, threatening aquatic life and water quality. The Arkansas River, in particular, has been healing from decades of mining discharges. A significant wildfire could reverse years of remediation work. Decades of forest mismanagement, combined with dying trees, and past mining activities, have made our forests, and therefore, our community, vulnerable.
In addition to threatening our forests, homes, recreational areas, and other infrastructure, wildfires in Lake County have the potential to uncover waste from the region’s extensive mining history. Post-fire flooding could unleash the harmful remnants from these operations, threatening aquatic life and water quality. The Arkansas River, in particular, has been healing from decades of mining discharges. A significant wildfire could reverse years of remediation work. Decades of forest mismanagement, combined with dying trees, and past mining activities, have made our forests, and therefore, our community, vulnerable.
Our Strategy:
Recognizing these challenges, ARWC, in partnership with Lake County, the USFS, and private landowners, is launching a project to treat 500 acres of forest lands in Lake County. Guided by the Lake County CWPP, the project proposes treating strategic landscapes in order to increase the impact of on-the-ground forest health treatments. Modeling completed by Colorado Forest Restoration Initiative, indicates that treating 2% to 8% of the landscapes identified as high-priority could yield a 20-50% reduction in the risk wildfire poses to important community assets. Through targeted treatments, the project is designed to build a more resilient watershed, restore forest health, and ensure the long-term well-being of the region.
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