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.
Prescribed fire is one of the most effective tools we have for restoring the natural role of fire in Colorado ecosystems that make our forests and communities more resilient. When applied thoughtfully and deliberately, it reduces hazardous fuels, improves forest and grassland health, and builds capacity for future fire operations. This month’s projects reflect that progress in action.
Grand Fire Protection District #1 | One Acre Burned
One especially notable achievement took place in Grand County, where Grand Fire Protection District #1 conducted a 1-acre prescribed fire—the first prescribed fire in Grand County not carried out by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service. While modest in size, the significance of this burn is substantial. It represents growing local leadership in prescribed fire, increased confidence among fire protection districts, and expanding use of prescribed fire beyond federal agencies. These steps are critical for scaling wildfire mitigation work across jurisdictions and communities.
Rocky Mountain National Park | 294 Acres Burned
In Rocky Mountain National Park, crews completed a 294-acre prescribed fire near the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center. The primary goal of the project was to reduce the threat of wildland fire to adjacent communities and NPS infrastructure by using prescribed fire to reduce the amount of fuels available in the area. When fighting the East Troublesome Fire in 2020 and the Fern Lake Fire in 2012, firefighters were able to take advantage of previous and existing prescribed fire and hazardous fuels treatment areas that provided a buffer between the fire and the town of Estes Park. Prior hazard fuels projects were instrumental in stopping the fire from jumping Bear Lake Road and Trail Ridge Road. Learn more.
NoCo TREX | 15 Acres Burned
The third project took place in an urban-interface setting at Signature Bluffs Natural Area in Greeley, where 34 NoCo TREX (Training Exchange) participants successfully completed a 15-acre prescribed fire. This marked the second NOCO TREX burn led by The Ember Alliance in 2025. By bringing together diverse organizations, NOCO TREX strengthens collaborative prescribed fire capacity and fosters relationships among agencies that might not otherwise work together. Its long-term vision is to build a statewide network of fire practitioners who can draw on one another’s expertise to expand the use of prescribed fire across Colorado. NOCO TREX is made possible through the support of partners including the Eastern Colorado Incident Management Team, the City of Greeley, and funding from the Colorado Department of Natural Resources and The Nature Conservancy.
Together, these three prescribed fires demonstrate the growing momentum for proactive fire management across the Northern Colorado Fireshed. They highlight how collaborative efforts—spanning federal, local, and training-focused partners—can reduce wildfire risk, restore fire-adapted landscapes, and prepare us for future challenges.
November’s success is a reminder that proactive fire on the landscape today helps create safer communities, stronger forests and a more resilient future for Northern Colorado.