A Clear Mission
Archuleta County's defensible-space regulations make the community safer

By Tammy Tyner & Eric Stone
Special to the Herald

When it comes to wildfire, the Archuleta County Planning Com-mission has taken a proactive stance. They are reducing forest fuels before they have the chance to burn by requiring developers to conduct wildfire mitigation work on new subdivisions, before the lots are sold or the homes are built.
In late fall of 1999, we were contracted by Land Properties, Inc. to prepare a wildfire mitigation and forest restoration plan for the proposed Elk Park subdivision. LPI had purchased the 1,300-acre ranch and was in the process of dividing it into 35-acre parcels and 3- to 9-acre lots.
The subdivision is steeply contoured and heavily timbered. It is flanked by two other subdivisions of similar vegetation and topography, and is adjoined by National Forest along its northern boundary. The terrain is not unlike Missionary Ridge, with one long and thickly treed spine running north to south, and various drainages winding their way down from the spine. It is ponderosa pine and Gambel oak country, with isolated pockets of mixed-conifer forest on north facing aspects.
Earlier that year, Dan Ochocki of the Colorado State Forest Service, had issued a wildfire risk assessment for Elk Park. He estimated the overall fire risk to be high, and made a strong recommendation to the planning commission that the vegetation be thinned before the homes were put up.
The planning commission seriously considered the recommendation, and because they were concerned with population growth and the ever-increasing risk of fire that goes with it, they required that the developer thin the trees and reduce the brushy undergrowth. A plan was put in place and the thinning work began in January of 2000.
We offer two other examples where similar wildfire mitigation work has been put in motion because of Ochocki’s recommenda-tions: Timber Ridge Ranch and Crowley Ranch Reserve; both large subdivisions, and both in Archuleta County.
Combining the three projects, that’s over 4,000 acres of forested land where thinning work is being conducted under the auspices of the state Forest Service and the Archuleta County Planning Commission. Suffice it to say that this new policy has had a positive impact on the community. There is now a much lower risk that these treated acres will burn and endanger not just the residents who live in these developments, but the entire community as well.
Here in La Plata County, change moves more slowly. This county has a considerably larger and more diverse populace and, therefore, things take more time. The good news now is that our county planning officials are transitioning to incorporate the Forest Service’s wildfire risk assessments into the subdivision planning and approval process. This is an important change and one that will help to diminish fire risk throughout La Plata County in the long run.
From a process standpoint, the time to perform thinning work within a development is before all of the homes are built.
The work should take place when subdivision roads are being roughed-in, when the land is still raw, and the homes are not in the way. Hazardous fuels reduction must be viewed as necessary in the planning stages.
If it is required, then it becomes just another cost of doing business – a cost which is simply passed on to the property buyer. We as purchasers of land and homes gladly pay for roads and utilities to make our lives easier. It only makes sense that we pay for the necessary wildfire mitigation work to make our lives safer.
Recently, we have seen examples of homes that were saved from fire simply because those homeowners spent the time and money (and were aware enough of the risks) to have a thinning contractor perform work on their land. Last fall, Todd and Debra Swanson, contracted Timber Tech to help thin brush and trees around their home to create a defensible space and restore the natural beauty of their property. This June, a wildfire erupted near their home. The house, their belongings, and much of their property were saved because they took the necessary precautions.
It needs to be said that there are many kinds of rewards for thinning the trees and brush on one’s property. By restoring the vegetation densities to natural levels, a land owner not only improves their chances of surviving a wildfire, they reduce the threat of wildfire to their neighbors, provide improved habitat for wildlife, and increase the value of their land because of the aesthetic enhancement.
Eric S. Stone is the project manager & Tammy Tyner is the owner of Timber Tech West, a fire mitigation company based in Durango.

Before Mitigation	After Mitigation
Photos courtesy Tammy Tyner The photo sets above show defensible space work completed on three properties before construction in Archuleta County. Defensible space is a circle of cleared space around a home that acts as a safety buffer against wildfires.