Wildfire risks are expected to increase in the years ahead in Colorado due to a warming climate, so state lawmakers are now exploring ways to help mitigate future impacts.
Those who haven’t visited Alderfer/Three Sisters Park in Jefferson County recently may notice it looks a little different these days, with many of the trees that used to adorn the landscape gone.
Steve Murdock with Jefferson County Open Space told Denver7 Thursday it was part of a major mitigation project completed earlier this year.
“Thinning these forests out leads to resilience,” said Murdock. “The trees that we keep out here are better able to withstand that fire that is inevitably going to come through.”
Thinning trees removes some of the fuel that wildfires depend on to intensify and grow, helping firefighters protect nearby homes and roadways that serve as escape routes.
“We live in an environment that was designed to burn, and we have to be aware of those risks,” said Jessica Moore, the wildland fire coordinator for Evergreen Fire and Rescue. “We’re working against the clock. We’ve been incredibly lucky in this area, in particular to avoid any major catastrophic wildfires.”