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. 

The Partnership, coordinated by The Watershed Center, is a collaborative of fire districts, agencies, towns, water and conservancy districts, non-governmental organizations, and community representatives, works to increase the fire resilience of Colorado’s forests for the benefit of communities, forest ecosystems, and water quality. A recent survey conducted by the Wildfire Research Center and local partners shows strong community support for these efforts: 74% of respondents are extremely or very accepting of forest thinning, 67% extremely or very accepting of burning slash, and 58% extremely or very accepting of prescribed fire. 

At the tour, community members walked through a potential project area near the Coulson Gulch Trailhead with partners and reviewed goals and maps outlining the treatment zones. They also walked through an area that was “sample marked”, showing trees that would be selected for removal to show how management choices balance ecological benefits with wildfire risk reduction. In addition to the USDA Forest Service sharing about potential work in the areas, the City of Longmont shared updates on connected forest health projects around Ralph Prince Reservoir. Together, the partners emphasized how collaboration across agencies, communities, and landowners is key to our protecting forests, water supplies, and nearby communities. 

This community field trip is one of many public outreach events held by the Partnership, in an effort to include local communities. From the beginning, the St. Vrain Forest Health Project has been built with local science, local voices, and local needs in mind.  

To learn more about the St. Vrain Forest Health Partnership and the USDA Forest Service St. Vrain Forest Helath Project, visit the StoryMap: St. Vrain Forest Health Project. 

A huge thank you goes to NCFC’s partner, The Watershed Center, for organizing the field trip. This tour was also possible because of funding from Cemex, St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy District, Argosy Foundation, National Forest Foundation, Boulder County, Boulder County Wildfire Mitigation Tax.