GILPIN COUNTY - The third and final documentary in the Forest Health movie matinee series was shown on March 15, 2025, at Timberline Fire Station #3 (Fitz Observatory) to a dedicated crowd of residents and emergency services personnel.

The film “The Fire Problem” is based on the premise that fire is integral to maintaining healthy forest ecosystems, and that fire management should replace fire suppression as public policy.

The Wilderness Institute at the University of Montana produced the documentary, which included interviews with fire scientists, land managers, and seasoned firefighters discussing the conundrum of fighting uncontrolled wildfires while trying to maintain healthy forests which rely on fire to rejuvenate the land.

Compounding the difficulty in managing healthy forests is more erratic weather, which creates dry and windy conditions that can trigger massive uncontrolled wildfires that can destroy forests long-term.

The prescription presented in the film is to perform more controlled burns, like broadcast burns, to clear out the understory and reduce fuel loads. Also recommended was allowing some wildfires that arise from natural causes like lightning strikes to continue to burn if it is a wet year and weather conditions are favorable.

Throughout the film, the fire scientists, firefighters, and land managers stressed the importance of changing public perception of fire in forests. They wanted a shift from the view that every fire needs to be put out by 10 a.m. the next day, to permitting some fires to burn long enough to have a positive impact on the land.

After the film, there was a question-and-answer segment with Gilpin County emergency services personnel. Gilpin County CSU Extension Agent Jennifer Cook moderated the discussion and referred each question to one of the experts in attendance.

Timberline Fire Chief Paul Ondr spoke about the current policies in place for national forests in the county. These emphasize patch cuts and burning slash piles rather than using broadcast burns because the forests are predominantly Lodgepole Pine.

Ondr noted that the forest service fuel reduction projects in the county (Yankee Hill and Lump Gulch) have been ongoing for the last decade and have established a series of open areas west of Highway 119 that can disrupt wildfires. A segment on the west side of Fairburn Mountain is scheduled to be done this year depending on federal funding.

Gilpin County Sheriff Kevin Armstrong was asked a question about evacuation notifications. He explained how the county is divided into evacuation zones, and how calls can be sent to select addresses depending on the emergency. The notifications are sent via the County Hyper-Reach program, which requires opt-in registration.

It was emphasized that residents should not rely on a notification before considering evacuating. It was recommended that if you see smoke and the situation looks dangerous, then get out. Don’t wait for a notification.

Armstrong also stressed that residents should prepare for evacuation by assembling “grab-n-go” bags, having rendezvous locations, and making agreements with neighbors to get pets if the owner isn’t home.

Collin Wassink, representing the Colorado State Forest Service, was asked where residents should start in terms of mitigating their land. It seems like an impossible task with so much of the county’s land comprised of national forests, and the abundance of absentee landowners in subdivisions who do little to reduce fuel loads on their properties.

Wassink’s reponse was to “open your front or back door and mitigate what you can see looking out.” If individuals take responsibility for their parcel of residential forest, then it can create an interconnecting grid that will reduce the risk of wildfire throughout the wildland-urban interface (WUI).

Steve Mornis of Axe and Snax spoke briefly about his group’s efforts to help mitigate properties belonging to homeowners with physical or financial difficulties. The group is five years old and concentrates on helping clean up slash to reduce fuel buildup. They also provide emergency wood for heating.

The meeting ended with a raffle for 50% off a Timberline Fire Mitigation project.

While this was the end of the movie series, more meetings are under consideration for discussing important topics like the CWPP (Community Wildfire Protection Plan).

The three films in this series can be viewed online: Fire in Paradise-Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/title/81050375?source=35), Fireforest - Evan Barrientos YouTube (https://youtu.be/cuoXGH4IOIw?si=SlRhBxxPb34_49iY), and The Fire Problem YouTube (https://youtu.be/7DtQAGK92mo?si=K6HosHWJJA4EQxmm).

Contact the CSU Extension Office Assistant Nancy Santagata (303-582-9106/nsantagata@gilpincounty.org) for more information on these forest health films.

Residents can sign up for the Hyper-Reach program at the Gilpin County website, https://gilpincounty.colorado.gov. The link is on the Emergency Management webpage.