GILPIN COUNTY - The admonishment “Kids, don’t try this at home!” is an advertising staple to discourage viewers from trying potentially dangerous actions that are about to be depicted.

Notable examples are car stunts, juggling with knives, and smoking cigarettes.

A coalition of conservation and emergency service organizations put together a one-day workshop in Gilpin County on building slash piles in hopes of removing that activity from the “don’t do this” list.

The Ember Alliance (TEA), Timberline Fire Protection District (TFPD), and Clear Creek Watershed & Forest Health Partnership (CCWFHP) were joint collaborators on the workshop, which was held on July 26, 2025, in mid-Gilpin County.

It was hosted by Lisa Lorenz Artz. Gilpin County CSU Extension Agent Jennifer Cook was a workshop participant.

The purpose of the workshop was to inform residents about the benefits and techniques of building slash piles to deal with hazardous fuel buildups on private land.

The workshop was divided into a morning session consisting of a series of presentations ranging from forest ecology to how to apply for a burn permit. The afternoon session was hands-on practice on building slash piles.

Kristin Leger, Northern Colorado Partnership & Implementation Coordinator, served as the moderator for the workshop and led the discussions.

Kelby Woodard, CCWFHP Forest and Mitigation Program Manager, gave an overview of the ecology of the forests in Gilpin County and explained the role of fire in regenerating the landscape.

Leger gave a presentation on home ignition zones that surround structures and described the key features of building defensible space on private property. Her presentation provided “dos and don’ts” for building defensible space based on a guide called The Home Ignition Zone, put out by the Colorado State Forest Service.

One of Leger’s key points was that firefighters have a better chance of defending a property where home hardening and forest mitigation have been practiced. It was stressed that there are no guarantees regarding uncontrolled wildfires, but a mitigated property is a more defendable property.

Timberline Mitigation Coordinator Andrew Steffe gave the presentation on how to build and burn a slash pile. Steffe is a veteran wildlands firefighter who has been responsible for burning thousands of slash piles on public lands.

He described the process for getting burn permits from county and state agencies, and the weather conditions that are suitable for a safe burn.

The final presentation of the morning, by TEA Assistant Project Manager Andrew Myers, was a demonstration of a properly built slash pile and the different components in its construction.

The key takeaways from Myers’ presentation were making sure the slash pile was properly located away from structures, and how the mix of fuels in the pile will allow for a complete burn.

After lunch, the group went out and practiced building slash piles that will actually be burned in the coming winter.

In total, over a couple of hours the group built seven slash piles.

The workshop wrapped up with a final question and answer segment. Insurance, liability and risk were all topics of concern.

In her summation comments, Leger reiterated that slash piles are just another tool in the fire safety toolbox, but under the right circumstances they can reintroduce fire to the landscape in a controlled manner that disposes of hazardous fuels without the cost of repeatedly moving the material around.

Participants were encouraged to do the research and reach out to the different agencies to see if building and burning slash piles is a viable option for their properties. Done right, it is a lot safer than juggling knives.

Contact information for the different agencies: Timberline property assessment and mitigation division (timberlinefire.com/free-property-assessment-registration,  720-398-1972,  asteffe@timberlinefire.com); Clear Creek Watershed and Forest Health Partnership (clearcreekpartnership.org); The Ember Alliance (emberalliance.org;, Gilpin County CSU Extension Service (gilpin.extension.colostate.edu/programs/natu/fire).

Timberline has a webpage (timberlinefire.com/gilpin-county) that explains how to obtain county and state open burn permits. The Home Ignition Zone is available at (csfs.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021_CSFS_HIZGuide_Web.pdf).