May 17, 2011 | Last fall, the Boulder community and UCAR/NCAR staff watched nervously as the Fourmile Fire tore through the foothills outside town. Two of our staff lost homes in the blaze, and a number were evacuated. Shortly after, the Dome Fire threatened a repeat. These events were a sharp reminder that our beautiful landscape here on the Front Range is susceptible to wildfire.

The Mesa Lab, with its spectacular perch on 450 acres of forested land above town, is no exception. After decades of fire suppression, the amount and thickness of forest cover on the mesa has gradually increased. After last year's fire season, a group of NCAR senior scientists expressed concern about the condition of the surrounding forest and grasslands to the President’s Council, which in turn directed FM&S to look into the situation and develop an action plan. Now that FM&S has finished resurfacing the asphalt road and creating a bike lane and pedestrian path, the next item on its plan for the Mesa property focuses on the land itself. As stewards of the Mesa on behalf of both NSF and the local community, we’ll be following the best practices for ecosystem management, based on the latest research.

To assist us, we’ve contracted with Anchor Point Group, Boulder-based consultants who specialize in wildfire mitigation services. UCAR’s relationship with Anchor Point dates back to 2005, when the firm prepared the NCAR Ecosystem Management Plan to meet long-range resource planning goals for the Mesa.

After a recent comprehensive evaluation of wildfire hazard on the Mesa, Anchor Point recommended forest restoration treatments. These include maintenance of historic forest openings (meadows); reductions in forest density through removal of low-hanging branches from healthy trees and selective cutting to remove undesirable species and diseased trees; retention of mature trees through selective pruning; and implementation of pine needle/undergrowth removal and prescribed burns.

Because the health of NCAR’s grasslands is threatened by the proliferation of certain weeds, Anchor Point has also done an inventory of these plants. They recommend forest thinning to preserve rangelands and implementation of an integrated weed management plan that includes prescribed burns to rejuvenate the landscape and establish a healthy growing environment for native plants.

Over the next two years, with Anchor Point’s help, we’ll be carrying out wildfire mitigation and forest management work on the Mesa. The first phase of the plan runs June–November 2011, with a second phase planned for March–November 2012.

During the first phase, staff and visitors can expect to see trees being thinned around the Fleischmann Building to create defensible space around the structure. Trees will also be thinned along the Walter Orr Roberts Weather Trail. Anchor Point will also create an inventory of hazardous trees near the lab’s parking lot and main lawn area.

The second phase, during spring 2012, will include five prescribed grassland burns surrounding the Mesa Lab. These small, intentionally set fires, also known as controlled burns, reduce fuel build-up and decrease the likelihood of more serious wildfires. Anchor Point estimates that it will take one day to burn each unit.

We’ll be coordinating our efforts with surrounding land agencies throughout the two-year plan. In the aftermath of last year’s fires, City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) and Boulder County Parks and Open Space (POS) are implementing forest management measures on their properties. Anchor Point has very strong working relationships with these and other local agencies. 

Funds for our wildfire mitigation plan, which will cost $300,000 for all the work over the two-year period, are drawn from NSF money that has been earmarked specifically by the foundation for the maintenance and upgrade of NCAR’s buildings and sites. This money is separate from the funds used for salaries, research, and operations, and as such NSF has specific requirements regarding its use.

As the mitigation effort unfolds, more details and information will be shared with staff. Staff with questions are encouraged to contact me at ext. 2060 or mattm@ucar.edu.

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