Horrible Colorado Wildfires

[medxam]

I just wondered how many of our members are affected by the horrible Colorado wildfires. If any of you are affected, God Bless You and let us know how you are faring.

All of us will hope and pray for the best for all of you!

medxam

 

[Iggy]

Not directly effected, but a great Uncle and Aunt were the first homesteaders in the Poudre canyon. I spent a lot of time there when I was a kid and must have skipped a ton of rocks across the river. My Aunt sold it many years ago.
I suspect the old homestead and some history is gone.

 

[longranger]

I have a different take on naturally caused wildfires. First and foremost they are part of the plan.It just plain cleans up the mess that mother nature provided during wet years.These fires are important for the health of the forest.The Colorado fires are intensified by drought and bark beetle infestations,fire kills the bugs and the trees and replaces them with healthier trees and no bugs.The western forest have been in trouble for decades with aggresive firefighting tactics and improved equipment.We have been stomping out ANY fire in Any forest for 100 years.This has provided extreme fire loads in the forest'.Normally they would be self limiting and the Colorado and N.M. fires are no different.
Now the folks who decided to build their dream home in the interface areas have not done due diligence as for design,access,water supplies and most important a "defensable space around structures".Twisting mountain roads,southern exposures on a hill,bad juju there if fire is not considered.Forest growth all the way up to the buildings is a complete loss,large eves on houses,buildings. In CA they will not put resources on any of the above described properties.They put their resources on defensable structures.You built it there not our problem,that's between you and the insurance co.

 

[CO_Kid]

I'm well south of the fires, in CO Springs, but last week we had a couple days of wind from the north, and the whole area was blanketed by the smoke from the fire.

 

[Frank237]

We have tens of thousands of acres of forest here in central MT killed by the pine bark beetles....Only a matter of time for us too. If it happens I hope it's a doozie and kills enough bettles to make the mess worth it.

 

[Wingmaster]

I was driving on Interstate 25 through Fort Collins this morning.
The smoke was so thick it was hard to see to drive in a few places.
Last I heard their has been 181 homes burned.

Wingmaster

 

[Wyo]

We're about 50 miles north and have had lots of smoke and some ash all week. At night you can sometimes see the flames from the tops of the hills to the east of us. I was near Yellowstone Park during the big fires of 1988 and this has been almost as bad as far as smoke goes.

 

[arjay]

It's a damn shame.That's a beautiful area.We have huge areas in those mountains with a high percentage of beetle killed pines and combined with a lack of snow last winter...

 

[longranger]

Lots of criticism on the Yellowstone fire in 88.It has been a boon to the park.What was once heavily forested with dead/dying trees is now beautiful "parks" with tons of forage for the big game animals.
If I lived in Colorado or N.M. I know where I would be hunting,this year ! I have hunted in MT (Turkey Day Fire) while the embers were still burning,the # of elk that moved in was unreal. We filled 8 tags in 4 days.In CA the same, my son killed his best M.D. while the forest service was cleaning up a burn in Modoc.Hunt the burns ! The first preciptitation on the burn will stimulate an amazing amount of new,highly nutritous forage the big game animals can't refuse,they can't eat pine trees and live long.

 

[feralmerril]

Here`s the way it was explained to me: Many areas had restrictive logging. The trees in those areas grow thicker. When they grow thicker the bark is thinner to get better sunshine. The beetles love the thinner bark for better and easier eating. Hence many dead trees in a thick area = high fire danger. We have the same behind us high up onnthe mountains around cedar breaks NP.
That fire years ago in yellowstone started due to a lighting strike. The powers that were decided since it wasnt man caused to let it burn itself out. That didnt work so good for them.
A couple years ago near me a lighting strike caused a fire. The then boss of that area decided to label the fire a "controlled burn". It was in a very hard access area and with a little gambeling highly cost effective to label it such.
In another life I was a fire fighter myself. I told theresa, that was going to blow up on them as we could see it smoldering for over a week or two. It happened, something like a dozzen houses went with it. They shipped that manager out.
There is truth to letting a fire renew the area. They tell me that some type trees will only release their seeds from the cones or at least, the best is with fire. It also of course burns all the dead undergrowth, takeing away fuel for the next lighting strike. All this is nice but not if you own a house near that spot. You can build lines but not wide enough to stop embers carried by the wind. Once I was visiting a small museum I think at downieville california. This was 40 years ago and a very old gentilman was the guide. There was a huge blown up very old picture of the exact area you could see out the door. The mountains had heavy timber but in the picture you could see the mountans were bare. I asked him about that. He said it was customary in those days for the indians to spend the summers in the mountains but when they left for the winter to lower warmer areas to burn the high forrested country because new growth would bring the animals for eats! So much for all that BS they tried to teach me as a kid about the nobel conservative red man!