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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDOCUMENT 175 Curry Dr Fire Mitigation Plan 2021-04-13FIRE MITIGATION PLAN 175 CURRY DRIVE ESTES PARK, CO Parcel number: 35364-25-002 A Portion of the W½ , SE¼, Section 36 Township 5 North, Range 73 West 6th Principle Meridian Larimer County, CO Prepared by: Mike Hughes, Forester Fort Collins Field Office Colorado State Forest Service 970-491-8453 April 13, 2021 Mtn. View Plan Mitigation Plan April 2021 Page | 2 Purpose: The purpose of this plan is to evaluate the potential risks from a wildfire and minimize the impacts. It is followed by recommended actions to reduce those risks. There is no guarantee that structures will survive, but at the very least, firefighters will more likely defend a home that has mitigated the dangers versus one that has not. Potential: Wildfire risk evaluates the amount of fuels in an area, which can lead to more intense wildfire behavior and higher damage to the area. Mitigating the risk will decrease the extreme fire behavior and diminish negative effects in the case of a wildfire ignition. Wildfire risk is increased by dense tree arrangements, where crowns are touching or close together. Risk can also be increased due to the presence of “ladder fuels,” which allow a fire to burn from the ground up into the branches, and then into the crowns of larger trees. This can increase tree mortality and rate of fire spread. The accumulation of downed woody debris, litter, and duff also increases fire hazard. These surface fuels should also be mitigated, especially near any future structures. Current Conditions: The parcel at 175 Curry Drive is only 1.05 acres in size and it is estimated that there are less than two-hundred individual trees and shrubs on site. Species include, but are not limited to: Trees Shrubs Ponderosa Pine Mountain Mahogany Rocky Mtn. Juniper Golden Currant Douglas-fir Wild Rose Ponderosa pine tend to self-prune themselves as they mature. With a thicker bark, it helped this species adapt to natural wildfires. Rocky Mountain Juniper are volatile and increase fire intensity. As a result, most should be thinned. Mtn. View Plan Mitigation Plan April 2021 Page | 3 There are rock outcroppings throughout the property with many large boulders. These help break up the continuous tree cover. It should be noted, however, that the property has a south facing aspect. This tends to create a drier site. The average slope on the parcel is less than 15%. Drier sites, along with steeper slopes, tend to increase intense fire behavior. Mtn. View Plan Mitigation Plan April 2021 Page | 4 Any dense tree pockets (as pictured above) should be thinned to create spacing between branches. Continuous canopy cover can become ‘fire chimneys’ during wildfires. Mtn. View Plan Mitigation Plan April 2021 Page | 5 Many fire hazards can be reduced by following these guidelines:  Thin tree and brush cover to 3’ of separation for shrubs and 10’ between tree branches.  Prune any remaining tree ladder fuels to a minimum of 6’ above ground.  Dispose of slash (branches) and debris left from thinning.  Minimize dead wood, needles and litter.  Continue to trim grasses and weeds. Keep watered, especially during high fire danger.  Keep roofs, gutters and eaves clean. Use synthetic decking whenever possible.  Trim branches which extend over roof and remove within 15’ of chimney. The Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) participates with other fire prevention cooperators in a program called FireWise, which will facilitate widespread implementation of pre-fire activities throughout Colorado. For more information concerning this program or if you would like to contact a forester, please contact the Fort Collins Field Office at: csfs_fortcollins@Mail.Colostate.edu or (970) 491-8660.