Post Fire Mitigation
Wildfires are getting larger and more frequent. Understanding what hazards are important is essential in responding appropriately. There are many different agencies and funding sources for post-fire mitigation projects which have different applications. We have worked on a number of post-wildfire protection projects that involved hazard identification, prioritization, designing, and implementing projects.
Cameron Peak Fire
The Cameron Peak Fire burned 208,913 acres in Larimer County in Northern Colorado between August and October 2020. This fire is the largest recorded wildfire in Colorado history. Drought conditions in the summer and fall of 2020 in Colorado also led to the 2nd and 3rd largest wildfires in Colorado History.
East Troublesome Fire
The East Troublesome Fire burned 193,812 acres in Grand, Jackson, and Larimer Counties in Northern Colorado in October 2020. Drought conditions in the summer and fall of 2020 in Colorado also led to the 1st and 3rd largest wildfires in Colorado History.
Hewlett Gulch Fire
The Hewlett Gulch Fire burned just west of Fort Collins, Colorado in the spring of 2012. It burned 7,685 acres, mostly in ponderosa pine on north-facing slopes, but also in some shrub communities and grasslands. Most of area of high burn severity was within the immediate drainage area of Milton Seaman Reservoir, which is owned and operated by the City of Greeley. The City of Greeley hired JW Associates to review the BAER, complete an analysis of the situation, and provide recommendations on protection measures that would protect water supplies.
Spring Creek Fire
The Spring Creek Fire of 2018 burned over 108,000 acres including some important watersheds in the headwaters of Sangre de Cristo Creek, Wagon Creek and West Indian Creek in Costilla County, Colorado. The Spring Creek Fire also burned across the divide to the east in Huerfano County. More than 4,000 acres of high burn severity have been identified in Costilla County.
High Park Fire Watershed Protection & Restoration
JW Associates worked with a coalition of water providers, and local, state and federal agencies on targeting watershed protection and restoration projects in the High Park Fire burned area. The High Park Fire burned a large area west of Fort Collins, Colorado and burned 87,200 acres. Our work on this project included creating a watershed targeting approach that focused the watershed restoration projects to the highest hazard areas, working with agencies to create and implement a new watershed protection method (directional tree-felling in gullies), and, directing and modifying mulching operations throughout 3 seasons of implementation.