Controlled burns are a necessary strategy towards ensuring the community’s safety. Fire has always acted as a natural cleanser, helping maintain the health of our forests, our natural water infrastructure, and protecting our native species from invasive plants or insects. With population growth comes the need for fire suppression, however a “prescribed” controlled burn helps with preventing a wildfire disaster.

Those who have survived through a wildfire know firsthand of the importance of utilizing any and all fire mitigation techniques, including controlled burns. But the sight of smoke over the horizon is enough to cause feelings of panic and dread, for those who have either experienced wildfires or who have only heard of them.

There are many factors involved in managing which areas become designated for a prescribed burn, such as the fuel type, the topography of the area, and the ability for firefighters to maintain perimeter lines. Apart from the aforementioned factors which mainly impact public safety, the ecological benefits are also greatly considered when determining where to burn.

Prescribed burns are only conducted during specified weather conditions in order to ensure public safety. Burns are ideally done in late winter when temperatures are cooler, humidity levels are higher, and wind conditions are more predictable.

Municipalities typically inform their communities through their social media accounts and official government websites. However, the situation in Nederland dictates residents having to subscribe to several different sources in order to reliably ascertain if the smoke they see in the distance is a controlled burn or not. Whether it be gathering information from the Town of Nederland, the Nederland Fire Protection District, the City of Boulder, Gilpin County, the Colorado Department of Transportation, or the US Forest Service, residents of Nederland sometimes have a lot of leg work to cover in order to feel safe.

There is a helpful resource in InciWeb, which works as an interagency hub of compiled and managed information regarding “all-risk” incidents such as wildfires. Through InciWeb users are able to isolate incidents, such as the controlled burn being conducted by the US Forest Service - Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest Unit on Thursday, January 5, 2023, and locate articles from different government agencies indicating when future burns may be conducted, if permitted by weather conditions.

Nederland residents can also contact the US Forest Service - Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest Unit through an email to visitarp@usda. gov, or to Christopher Green at christopher. green2@usda.gov in order to receive updates from the agency. Residents are also urged to subscribe for updates from Boulder County Parks and Open Space by sending an email to https://boco.org/Prescribed- Burns.

There are more prescribed burns and slash pile burns scheduled throughout the winter of 2023, including at Reynolds Ranch, east of Nederland, and Walker Ranch, west of Boulder. From January 3 to April 15 Boulder County states there are several burns scheduled at the Nelson Loop at Hall Ranch in Lyons. The US Forest Service has stated that there are several burns scheduled for early January in Gilpin County; one just a half mile north of Rollinsville, another one west of Lump Gulch Road, and one just south of Gilpin Road. There are also burns scheduled for areas near Magnolia Road, just two miles east of Nederland.

In addition to the importance that the Nederland community stay informed, it is equally and crucially important that we continue to inform each other.

For more information on InciWeb go to: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov.