Playing defense against wildfires in Eagle County starts with collaboration

Living where we do, a major wildfire is nearly inevitable at some point. The Eagle County Wildfire Collaborative’s job is to avoid as much damage and disruption as possible.

Collaborative representatives recently provided the Eagle County Board of Commissioners with an update about the group’s 2023 activity. It was a busy year.

County Emergency Management Director Birch Barron told the commissioners that a project begun a few years ago has “snowballed” into a lot of activities. There are collaborative efforts in both the Eagle and Roaring Fork valleys, as well as Eagle Valley Wildland, a cooperative effort between the county and individual fire districts.

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County Wildfire Mitigation Manager Eric Lovgren told the commissioners that one of the group’s top 2023 accomplishments was the completion of a community wildfire protection program. That not only lays out a blueprint for mitigation efforts, but can be used to help secure federal and state funding for future work.

Pointing out weaknesses

Part of that effort has included assessments to provide advice for property owners to make their homes and land more resistant to wildfire. Throughout the county 203 such assessments were done in 2023. Vail’s fire department evaluated about 500 parcels.

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Eagle Valley Wildland Coordinator Hugh Fairfield-Smith said the group has taken over Cordillera’s assessment program, and that Bachelor Gulch and Eagle Ranch are now part of the home assessment program. Four specialists have been hired to conduct assessments.

Beyond professional help, Lovgren noted that a total of 42 volunteer “ambassadors” — 21 each in the Eagle and Roaring Fork valleys — are helping spread information about making property more fire-resistant.

In addition, the wildland group has also joined the “Beyond Lawn” program that encourages water conservation along with fire mitigation.

Water conservation includes protecting watersheds and water sources with thinning and prescribed burns. Projects have included mitigation efforts on about 80 acres of watershed for Gypsum’s Moser Spring and about 400 acres in the Berry Creek drainage near Edwards.

There have also been efforts to create fire breaks throughout the county. Fairfield-Smith said about 23 miles of fuel breaks have been created so far.

Help for the ecosystem

Thinning, burning and other efforts have benefits for the broader ecosystem, Fairfield-Smith said.

Thinning and prescribed fire can help provide space for more native grasses instead of invasive species. Deer and elk eat those grasses, further helping vegetation management.

Thinning often creates large debris piles, material that can’t be run through a chipper. Fairfield-Smith said there are more than 5,000 piles throughout the county that still need to be burned. That burning generally takes place in the winter and fall but needs to happen on good days for smoke dispersal. The county doesn’t have many of those, Fairfield-Smith said.

Work last year has helped with projects planned for this year. A project is planned for the Eagle Ranch/Brush Creek area.

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Eagle River Fire Protection District Chief Karl Bauer told the commissioners that the broad collaborative effort is the reason so much has been done, and “continued support will add to that success.”

Commissioner Jeanne McQueeney asked what more county officials should be doing to mitigate the possibilities of destructive wildfires.

Bauer said it’s essential to work with the larger community to maintain funding for mitigation efforts, since funding efforts so far have been on an “ad hoc” basis. It may be time to find ways to keep that funding sustainable, he said.