While March feels early to start thinking about fire mitigation on public and private lands, a two-acre fire broke out in dry grass and aspen the evening of March 12 on the San Juan National Forest’s Dolores Ranger District.
The fire, located north of Rico, is under investigation to determine cause.
District Fire Management Officer Caleb Schutz noted, “This is one of the bigger fires for this time of year and location where we would typically be under feet of snow.”
In Southwest Colorado, many of us have pangs of deep concern for our own fire danger when we look outside and see dry, yellow grass rather than deep snow. Fire management specialists have already indicated that our current trend is above average for wildfire risk. That’s why the San Juan National Forest and partners are already making plans for wildfire risk reduction in 2025, using prescribed fires, mechanical and hand thinning, and other tools to prepare for wildfire.
Mitigating risk of catastrophic fire has long been a priority to communities in Southwest Colorado, including federal, state, and local agencies — as well as partners and nonprofit organizations.
Successes include work by Rocky Mountain Restoration Initiative and Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program partners, where, after five years of focused, cross-boundary work, Southwest Colorado partners achieved a major milestone in 2024, surpassing 100,000 acres of restoration and forest management on federal, state, private and tribal lands. Future plans on the San Juan National Forest include 8,000 acres of fuels treatments in the Junction Creek/Falls Creek area and 3,000 acres of treatments in the Durango Hills area.
High on the San Juan National Forest priority project list is prescribed fire implementation. Operations could begin as early as April, depending on weather conditions and availability of fire personnel and other resources.
“Managing the return of fire into fire-dependent forests is a key element of our ongoing work to reduce the long-term risk of catastrophic future wildfire events,” said San Juan National Forest Supervisor David Neely. “Prescribed fires reduce fuels that mechanical treatments can’t, and they do it at a lower cost and with corresponding ecological benefits. We appreciate community understanding and support as we deploy this vitally important element of our wildfire mitigation strategy.”
This and other types of fire mitigation work are an ongoing priority, as Scott Nielsen of Durango Fire and Rescue (DFR) attests.
“DFR has implemented several mitigation projects underway in our fire district,” said the wildfire division battalion chief, “several of which are on large properties adjoining dense subdivisions. Through great relationships with local partners, DFR plans to increase our mitigation and suppression capabilities in 2025 and beyond.”
Nielsen points out that mitigation efforts have done more than reduce wildfire risk — they have built a close network of community leaders, elected and agency officials, law enforcement and first responders, public information professionals, and contractors. These have been key elements of our preparation for the inevitability of wildfire.
La Plata County Commissioner Marsha Porter-Norton sums it up this way: “As counties across the west see wildfires impact homes, lives, businesses and ecosystems, it is important to celebrate the successes we have forged through partnerships created.”
She adds, “We also have to do more — much more. There are many barriers to creating more wildfire-resilient communities but together, we can work to address them. We have to as this is the issue of our time.”
Archuleta County Sheriff Mike Le Roux agrees.
“It is critical that we support every opportunity to mitigate the risk of fire and the potential it has for the devastation and displacement of our community,” he said. “As previous years have shown us, we are vulnerable to fire in our landscape, and we must be proactive in our approach to lessen the potential for critical incidents affecting our community, not only through active management of our resources, but also through active participation with our partners. It has been repeatedly proven that during critical situations, established trust and strong working relationships enable quick decision-making and coordinated actions.”
While land management agencies and partners are planning ahead, we hope you — our community members — are doing the same for your homes and neighborhoods, mitigating wildfire risk in rural settings, the wildland-urban interface and in the urban environment.
Need help tackling your own fire mitigation work? You have support from partners like Wildfire Adapted Partnership, the Colorado State Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
According to Ashley Downing, executive director of Wildfire Adapted Partnership, the organization is available to assist private landowners and communities make changes to protect lives and property from wildfire.
“We can provide education to landowners on the steps they can take on their properties to create defensible space around structures,” said Downing. “Fuels treatments on private parcels and in communities complements work on neighboring public lands, creating landscape-scale change.”
Here are just a few of many additional resources:
• Wildfire Adapted Partnership for education, planning and private lands fire preparedness.
• Colorado State Forest Service for a variety of tools, including education on wildfire, forest management and more.
• NRCS for private lands conservation programs and technical assistance (including planning and implementation).
County resources:
• La Plata County Wildfire Resource Center.
• Archuleta County Office of Emergency Management.
• Montezuma County Office of Emergency Management.
For information on the San Juan National Forest, call (970) 247-4874 or visit the forest website.
