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Executive Summary for Draft Final: 5/9/18

“Effective wildfire mitigation can be accomplished through a variety of methods including

reducing hazardous fuels, managing vegetation, creating defensible space around individual

homes and subdivisions, utilizing fire-resistant building materials, enhancing emergency

preparedness and response capabilities, upgrading current infrastructure, and developing

programs that foster community awareness and neighborhood activism. Once implemented,

these actions will significantly reduce the risk of loss due to wildfire to an individual home,

and…to an entire community.” Evergreen Community Wildfire Protection Plan

YOUR!

Community Wildfire Protection Implementation Plan

Buffalo Park Estates/Evergreen Hills

Evergreen Fire Protection District

Jefferson County, CO

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This is the Community Wildfire Protection Implementation Plan (CWPIP) for the Buffalo Park

Estates, Evergreen Hills Area (BPEH). It is under the umbrella of the Community Wildfire

Protection Plan (CWPP) for the Evergreen Fire Protection District (EFPD), and was formulated

by a team of area residents with advice and assistance from the Evergreen Fire Protection

District.

The CWPIP details priority mitigation actions selected by the team based on general

recommendations made in the Evergreen. These actions are to reduce the impact of wildfire on

the neighborhoods and individual residences. As appropriate, State, Federal and local land

managing agencies were involved. Both the Evergreen CWPP analysis and the Jefferson

County CWPP gave both the Buffalo Park Estates; Evergreen Hills area a fire danger

rating of “Extreme”.

Specific sections: Section 1: Community Wildfire Protection Planning;

Section 2: The Buffalo Park Estates; Evergreen Hills Area & Community Risk Analysis;

Section 3: Wildland Fire Response Infrastructure and Capabilities;

Section 4: Implementation Actions & Recommendations (Mitigation techniques to be applied

and priority Fuels mitigation Projects;

Section 5: Plan Implementation and Follow up;

Section 6: Appendices (containing the state forest service guide on creation of Defensible Space

and a section with links to important information).

Sections 1, 2, and 4 are important for background and for specific recommended mitigation

actions to be carried out by the community working with Evergreen Fire Rescue.

Specific priority recommendations for community mitigation efforts supported by the

Evergreen Fire Protection District are the heart of the plan as they call for specific actions.

Recommended Treatment Priority 1: Work with officials and neighborhoods to facilitate

creation of Defensible Space

Recommendation: collaboration between the team and the Evergreen FPD, and

neighborhood/community groups and events to educate residents and promote their efforts to

create Defensible Space on residential lands within the plan area.

This would include information on standards for visible and consistent home address

signage.

Recommended Treatment Priority 2: Mitigation along area roadways

The team evaluated Evergreen FPD CWPP recommendations and conducted a survey of

roadways, and working with EFPD recommends the following road parcels for priority treatment

in unit 21:

1. Timber Ridge Road from Brook Forest drive to Lodgepole Dr.

2. Brook Forest Drive from Brook Forest Road to Elk Run

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3. Ponderosa Way from Ponderosa Court to Blue Spruce

4. Woodchuck, Weasel area

5. Lower Portion of Blue Spruce to Brook Forest Road

6. Snowshoe, Skunk Alley, Lynx Lane & Elk Run

Recommended Priority 3: Availability of Emergency Evacuation Routes

Recommendation: The team coordinates with Evergreen FPD, and Jefferson County Sheriff’s

Office to provide current and incoming residents with the EFPD information brochure on

existing evacuation route recommendations’ sheet for Unit 21 (Buffalo Park & Evergreen Hills).

If additional route(s) are added work with EFPD to see the brochure is revised.

Recommendation: The team coordinates with Evergreen FPD to accomplish

recommendations of the Evergreen FPD CWPP:

1. “Develop and maintain emergency access option for Brook Forest to Blue Bell (Buffalo Park)” as

recommended in Evergreen FPD CWPP. This will require coordination with Excel Energy in

power line road maintenance and may involve coordination with private land owners at the north

end of the route.

2. Maintain established “Access to secondary exit (Fawn Path/Weasel to Stransky Ranch.)” Review

route with Evergreen Fire/Rescue which has locks on the gate, and with Stransky Ranch, to

determine if route needs any mitigation to make access readily available to vehicle types.

Recommended Priority 4: Fuelbreak thinning by US Forest Service

The Arapahoe National Forest has units on the west and south sides and a smaller unit at the NE

corner of the area.

Though USFS units are not immediately adjacent to the plan area the team recommends it work

with Evergreen FPD to consult with the US Forest Service (Arapahoe and Roosevelt National

Forest-Idaho Springs District) to evaluate if any mitigation actions are needed for area

protection.

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Evergreen CWPP Unit 21: Buffalo Park Estates; Evergreen Hills

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Buffalo Park-Evergreen Hills CWPIP Boundary