NoCo Fireshed News
Fire Lives Here Film Screenings
Across Colorado’s Front Range, community members are gathering for screenings of Fire Lives Here—a powerful new film that explores the relationship between people, forest, and fire. Fire is a natural and important force here in Colorado, and this film invites viewers to better understand how we live with it rather than simply react to it.
Catalyzing Wildfire Resilience in the Big Thompson Through Collaboration and Strategic Investments
The challenges facing Northern Colorado’s forests and watersheds are larger than any single organization can solve alone. Recognizing this, Peaks to People Water Fund launched the Big Thompson Watershed Health Partnership (BTWHP) in late 2022 to provide the collaboration and shared strategy required to meaningfully reduce wildfire risk and strengthen watershed resilience.
November 2025 Prescribed Fire Recap: Building Resilience Across the Northern Colorado Fireshed
November 2025 marked an important milestone for prescribed fire across Northern Colorado. In partnership with local fire districts, land managers, and regional collaborators, three prescribed fires were successfully implemented using broadcast burning—demonstrating what’s possible when planning, training, and partnership come together on the landscape.
The Crucial Role of Pile Burning in Northern Colorado
Fire is a natural and important part of a healthy Colorado ecosystem. Northern Colorado, with its picturesque landscapes and vibrant communities, is no stranger to wildfire. The region’s unique blend of dry climate, dense forests, and gusty winds creates a perfect storm for wildfires to wreak havoc.
Cooler Temps and Snow Mark Return of Winter Pile Burning Season in Northern CO
Fire managers on the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests are preparing for pile burning season this winter. Current and forecasted weather conditions may create favorable pile burning conditions over the next several months.
New Study Shows Areas with Prior Forest Treatments Burned Less Severely than Untreated Areas in Colorado’s 2020 Wildfires
Colorado Forest Restoration Institute (CFRI), a key partner of the NoCo Fireshed, recently released a study showing that areas with prior forest treatments, like thinning, prescribed fire, or previous wildfire, burned less severely than in untreated areas during the wildfires in 2020.
Reducing Risk in Soldier Canyon: Fireshed Fund at Work
With support from the Fireshed Fund through the Larimer County Community Mitigation Grant Program, the Soldier Canyon community is taking big steps to reduce wildfire risk.
Building Skills to Increase Wildfire Mitigation in Larimer County
At The Fireshed Fund, we’re proud to see our funding at work strengthening local wildfire resilience across Larimer County.
Recently, three responders from Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department (RCVFD) wrapped up an S-212 Chainsaw Course lead by The Ember Alliance. The training helped bring together participants from Glacier View, Poudre Canyon, and Rist Canyon volunteer fire departments.
St. Vrain Forest Health Partnership Hosts Forestry and Fire Resilience Community Field Tour
The St. Vrain Forest Health Partnership (SVFHP) recently hosted a community field tour to the Coulson Gulch area, giving community members the opportunity to learn more about the USDA Forest Service’s St. Vrain Forest Health Project and how collaborative forest management efforts are shaping the future of the St. Vrain Watershed.
First Roadway Fuels Treatment Begins in Red Feather Lakes Area Wildfire Defense Project
Earlier this month work started on the first roadway treatment within the Red Feather Lakes Area Wildfire Defense Project, a multi-year, $9.7M grant co-managed by NoCo Fireshed partners: Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW) and the Larimer County Office of Emergency Management. Funding from this grant is available to treat up to 10 miles of roadway in the project area.
9 News | Clear Creek County’s first dedicated forester helping neighbors reduce wildfire risk
Clear Creek County has not experienced disturbance in the form of wildfire in over a hundred years. As Forest and Mitigation Manager for the Clear Creek Watershed & Forest Health Partnership, Kelby is working to change that trajectory.
New Film “Fire Lives Here” Out Now
On August 1, the Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative, in partnership with the National Forest Foundation (NFF) and the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, will debut Fire Lives Here on PBS streaming platforms. This powerful new documentary explores Colorado’s evolving relationship with wildfire and the growing movement to return planned fire to the landscape as a strategy to reduce the risk of destructive fires and create more resilient forests.
USDA Forest Service approves St. Vrain Forest Health Project
Following four years of planning, public involvement and environmental assessment, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service has approved plans to conduct forest management across 43,000 acres of National Forest within the 625,000-acre St. Vrain Watershed west of Lyons, Colo.
Survey Shows Strong Support for Forest Management on Public Lands in the St. Vrain Watershed
A recent survey by The Watershed Center, found strong public support for a wide range of wildfire risk reduction strategies, particularly those focused on proactive forest management in the St. Vrain watershed.
The Northern Colorado Fireshed Fund Awards over $1,000,000 to Local Organizations for Wildfire Resiliency Work
Since 2023, The Northern Colorado Fireshed Fund, in partnership with the National Forest Foundation, has awarded over $2.3 million to support community-led wildfire resiliency work in landscapes across Northern Colorado. In the latest grant cycle, the Fireshed Fund awarded over $1,045,000 to community groups to make our forests more resilient, our communities safer, and keep our water supplies reliable.
A 60-acre fire at Rocky Mountain National Park could protect Estes Park for nearly a decade
More than 60 acres of some of Rocky Mountain National Park's most heavily trafficked terrain was set aflame intentionally as firefighters worked a prescribed burn.
Weather & the Prescribed Burn Plan
Every prescribed fire plan is a unique recipe of specific and precise conditions that must be in place prior to ignition. Customized for the unique components, conditions, and needs of each individual burn unit, ingredient choice is guided by fuel types and density, soil moisture, topography, aspect, access, infrastructure, natural fire breaks, safety, and project goals.
Why Can’t We Just Cut It? Why Prescribed Fire is Here to Stay
“Why can’t we just cut it and skip the fire part?” Here’s a quick primer on why partnering with fire instead of banishing it again will always provide better outcomes for nature, society, and the future of both.
Cross-Boundary Pile Burning Will Reduce Wildfire Risk in the Poudre Watershed
Guest Post by Daniel Bowker, Forests Program Manager, Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed
During 2023 and 2024, the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW), the Larimer County Conservation Corps (LCCC), and The Ember Alliance (TEA) partnered on an ongoing wildfire mitigation project on the Ben Delatour Scout Ranch in northern Larimer County, just west of the community of Glacier View Meadows.
Colorado Forest Resilience Planning Guide Adopted and Endorsed by the CO Forest Health Council
Forests across Colorado provide invaluable social, economic, and ecological benefits, and ensuring their resilience requires coordinated efforts. The Colorado Forest Resilience Planning Guide offers a framework for agencies, private landowners, and local collaboratives to align their forest management strategies, leverage resources effectively, and sustain forest health.