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Forest‑health partners outline CWPP progress; 12,000 acres treated toward 30,000‑acre goal
Summary
Envision Chaffee County, the U.S. Forest Service and the Colorado State Forest Service updated trustees on implementation of the county’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan. They reported about 12,000 acres treated to date and urged continued cross‑jurisdictional work to reduce wildfire risk and protect water supplies.
Buena Vista — A coalition of local, state and federal agencies told the Town of Buena Vista trustees on April 8 that Chaffee County has treated roughly 12,000 acres since the 2020 update of its Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), and that planned funding and projects will move the county toward the 30,000‑acre target.
Kim (Envision Chaffee County), JT Shaver (Colorado State Forest Service), Kent Maxwell (Colorado Fire Camp), Perry Edwards (Salida District Ranger, U.S. Forest Service) and others described a map‑based “bang‑for‑the‑buck” approach that prioritizes treatments where they most reduce risk to homes, drinking water and evacuation corridors. Presenters said about 70% of targeted acres are on public land and about 10,000 acres of the priority map are privately owned.
Key takeaways - Scale and progress: Presenters said about 12,000 acres have been treated and another 14,000 acres are funded or planned, moving the county toward a 30,000‑acre goal. - Coordination across ownerships: Partners stressed the need for landscape‑level planning that links private, state and federal work — “we don’t want random acts of restoration,” Perry Edwards said, adding that coordinated treatments are where the biggest wins happen. - Benefits for insurance and safety: Edwards said fuels treatments have improved insurability in other districts and can reduce home insurance premiums by decreasing burn severity. - Private‑land programs: JT Shaver described Chaffee Treats and Chaffee Chips, programs that help private landowners with slash disposal and funding for roadside and defensible‑space work. - Funding diversity: Presenters said the program’s funding is diversified — a locally passed tax seed measure plus multiple state and federal grants, including an RCPP award — and they said current funding should sustain work through the next two years while partners pursue renewed grant cycles.
Why trustees asked to hear this: Trustees said they wanted an update because watershed protection, evacuation routes and community resilience are top local priorities. Trustee questions focused on coordination with town water managers and on post‑wildfire sediment/flood hazards; presenters said they are coordinating with the town’s Water Advisory Board and are integrating riverscape restoration where appropriate.
Next steps: Partners plan public outreach, continued private‑land outreach (defensible‑space assistance) and multi‑year treatment work that will depend on grant cycles and operational capacity. Envision Chaffee County said it will hold a public open house May 6 to explain local projects and homeowner options.
