Barbara Lawlor

Nederland

Last week, Saws and Slaws brought their chainsaws, their chippers and 43 gloved volunteers to South Sky View road in the Bonanza Estates, right in the center of the Cold Springs Fire burn area. The seven properties to be mitigated bordered each other and the trees were marked by Wildfire Partners.

When the day was over, about 320 trees were cut down and the slash was hauled to the road, ready to be chipped by High Timber Firewood. Logs were taken out to be used as firewood

Event organizer Marc McClish said, "We generated 840 cubic yards of slash at this event in 4.5 hours. Several of the firefighters and support personnel that saved this subdivision from the Cold Springs Fire helped to once again protect this neighborhood by mitigating the wildfire fuels on Saturday as sawyers: Mike Smith, Jamie Carpenter, Patrick Richardson, Eric Begin, Rik Henrikson, and Kelsey Lesniak."

 When the hard work was finished, the volunteers and homeowners enjoyed a potluck lunch together, feeling the pride and the sore muscles that a day of helping neighbors and hauling branches can bring.

Unique to this event, Saws and Slaws secured a matching $8,000 grant from Wildfire Partners and Boulder County Forest Health to offer free curbside chipping to all of Bonanza Estate subdivision. Volunteer hours from the Saws and Slaws Event on Saturday, Sept. 24th were used as the in-kind match for the grant.

Phil and Jane Pitzer, began chipping all the slash last Monday and 26 properties took advantage of the free chipping opportunity.

"We had hoped for stronger participation, but are pleased that the community has begun the process of taking on wildfire mitigation," says McClish.

Saws and Slaws recommends and encourages property owners to contact Wildfire Partners online at www.wildfirepartners.orgto schedule a site visit with one of the wildfire mitigation specialists.

If you sign up in October this year, the site visit fee of $75 is waved.

Many people think of wildfire mitigation as cutting all the trees down around homes. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Effective mitigation begins at the home and extends selectively and purposefully into the forest, working on a comprehensive plan for structure protection.

Most homes lost in a wildfire are not lost in the big scary crown fire, says McClish but in the ember storm. Simple things like pulling the pine needles away from the house and out of the gutters can mean the difference between a home surviving or not. Wildfire Mitigation Specialists have first-hand experience with wildfire and can help property owners identify their specific risks and offer proven solutions to mitigate those risks.

Nederland Saws and Slaws is scheduling mitigation projects for next year and wants residents to know that there is no charge to have Saws and Slaws help with mitigation around your home. We ask for folks to work with their neighbors to get a few properties onboard to host an event. All properties must be marked by Wildfire Partners to have help from Nederland Saws and Slaws. For more information about being a host site or volunteering, please email nedforesthealth@gmail.com.