2023-2024 Forest Health And Wildfire Mitigation Program

Santa Fe Trail Ranch
The Health Of Our Forest

Forest Health & Wildfire

Santa Fe Trail Ranch became a FIREWISE-certified community in 2006, and has renewed our certification every year since.

To better understand what that means, please go to the following link:

https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Wildfire/Firewise-USA/Become-a-Firewise-USA-site/Frequently-asked-questions

Our Forest Health and Wildfire Mitigation Committee has developed and continually updates a Community Wildfire Protection Plan that guides ranch-wide volunteer mitigations efforts, that in the past have including both grant-funded prescription-driven major mitigation projects involving heavy equipment operated by contractors, and volunteer efforts by property owners using our own equipment and labor. The following is an excerpt from that document:

"The Santa Fe Trail Ranch (SFTR) Community Wildfire Protection Plan was originally prepared by Land Stewardship Associates, LLC at the request of the Santa Fe Trail Ranch Property Owners Association in 2006. Significant work has been accomplished on Santa Fe Trail Ranch each year since the creation of the original CWPP in the form of fuel reduction both collectively and by individual property owners. In 2015, it was determined by the community that another release of the SFTR CWPP would be valuable showing all the activities that have been done, reprioritizing goals for the future and assessing all structures for survivability if a wild land fire were to occur. Jim Webb from Land Stewardship Associates was contracted to do structure assessments and provide guidance. The Forest Health Committee of SFTR prepared the updated document and presented it to all the collaborating parties in Las Animas County for concurrence and signatures."

Community involvement by many property owners at many levels is required to keep our ranch safe, and the mitigation work done before fire season helps us all breathe a little easier when the fire danger increases. All property owners are encouraged to contact the FHWM committee for more information (see CONTACT at the top of this page).

On June 13, 2021 at the SFTR MOC, wildland firefighter Ryan Theler gave an extremely informative presentation about prevention and preparedness in case of wildfires in our area. Click HERE to watch a recording of the presentation..

Every SFTR property owner should read the brand new Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) brochure The Home Ignition Zone - A guide to preparing your home for wildfire and creating defensible space. Click anywhere on this paragraph to read it on the CSFS website. (If this doesn't work, click on the document title in the list below to read the same document from the SFTR website.)