Half Of Coloradans Live In Wildfire Risk Areas: New Report

FORT COLLINS, CO – Half the population of Colorado lives in areas at risk of wildland fire, a new Colorado Wildfire Risk Assessment shows.

Data released this week by the Colorado State Forest Service shows that the number of Coloradans living in Colorado’s "wildland-urban interface" areas increased by nearly 50 percent from 2012, when 2 million people lived in wildfire-risk areas to 2017, when that number increased to 2.9 million people.

The wildland-urban interface is any area where man-made improvements are built close to, or within, natural terrain and flammable vegetation. If you live in the interface area, you are at risk, the agency said.

The state forest service updated their risk tool based in new data for housing, population, vegetative fuels and weather. This is the first major update to the overarching site data since 2013, the agency said in a press release.

“With the continued increase in Colorado’s wildland-urban interface population, it’s critical for landowners and communities to take actions to reduce their risk and address forest health concerns,” said Mike Lester, state forester and CSFS director.

Many Coloradans living in the foothills in ponderosa and lodgepole forests need to consider the fire-prone nature of these ecosystems, especially those areas with pine beetle-killed trees.
Colorado’s arid climate and fire-dependent forests, make homeowners and landowners vulnerable to wildfires, the agency said.

What makes the wildfire risk go up? The largest increases in population growth within the wildfire danger zone are in areas where agricultural lands are being converted to grasslands and subdivisions. Although these areas are considered in a low-risk category by the assessment, they are still at a higher risk for wildfire than more urban areas, said Amanda West, CSFS science information manager.

The system has gotten more sophisticated, with a new statewide “burn probability” layer that uses a GIS tool for modeling wildfire behavior and spread, based on millions of wildfire simulations.

The State Forest Service provides an interactive, online tool, "CO-WRAP" to help fire mitigation pros and other planners download data to evaluate fire risk in communities, or watershed regions. Data layers allow users to view such themes as "potential fire intensity, historic fire occurrence and values at risk from wildfire," a press release said.

Even though the tool can be used by curious citizens, it's not meant to be used to determine fire risks at the parcel level. “This is not a source for real-time fire risks or restrictions,” West said in a statement.

According to the forest service, there are two elements that increase the risk of wildfire damage to your home. One is the structure of the home itself, and its "structural ignitability" and the second is the "defensible area" around the home.

Here are tips to make your home less vulnerable to fire:

• When your roof needs significant repairs or replacement, use only fire-resistant roofing materials.
• Prune all tree branches from ground level up to a height of 10 feet above ground or up to 1/3 the height of the tree, whichever is less. Remove dead branches.
• Dispose of any heavy accumulation of logs, branches and slash by chipping, hauling to a disposal site or piling for burning later.
• It is important to rake needle or "duff layers" deeper than 2 inches at least 3 feet away from the base of large trees. This should be done annually, and the additional duff also should be removed from the area.
• Mow grasses and weeds as often as needed throughout the growing season to keep them shorter than 6 inches.
• Stack firewood uphill from or on the same elevation as any structures, and at least 30 feet away.
• Clear all flammable vegetation within 10 feet of woodpiles.
• Do not stack wood against your home or on/under your deck, even in the winter. Many homes have burned as a result of a woodpile that ignited first.

For more information about how to protect your home from wildfire,visit the website here.

Image via Colorado State Forest Service