Research & Education
Research and education are valuable components of the FRFTP strategy. Community and ecosystem sustainability can only be achieved by hazardous fuels treatments based on proven methods that factor in short-range, as well as long-term environmental and economic impacts.
Research Website Links
Rocky Mountain Research Station Fuels Planning: Science Synthesis and Integration Project available to download from the USDA Forest Service, RMRS publications library.
USFS Research - Online publications available to download from the USDA Forest Service Treesearch library. The Rocky Mountain Research Station and other stations publications are included in the library.
Learning from Experience - A case description of the Upper South Platte Watershed Protection and Restoration Project
Wildfire and Watersheds - A pdf format summary of a forum and workshop examining the environmental, social, and economic impacts of wildfire.
Watershed Protection
Water Providers' Meeting
March 18, 2009
Held at the American Water Works Association in Denver
Purpose of the meeting: To provide an update on the work of the Front Range Watershed Wildfire Protection Working Group and discuss actions necessary to mitigate wildifre risks in Front Range Watersheds.
Protecting Critical Watersheds in Colorado from Wildfire: A Technical Approach to Watershed Assessment and Prioritization Final Version - Revised August 2009 (pdf 8 MB) - In this 50-page report, the Front Range Watershed Protection Data Refinement Work Group - one of three sub-work groups formed to implement the strategy of the Front Range Watershed Wildfire Protection Working Group - adapted and refined the methods used by the Pinchot Institute for Conservation in 2007 to assess individual watersheds within the 10-county area served by the Front Range Fuels Treatment Partnership and Roundtable. The work group reviewed additional information and created a template for watershed assessments to identify critical watersheds that supply community or municipal water. An eight-page executive summary of the report also is available. (pdf 514 KB)
Other Materials:
• March 18 Meeting Agenda (pdf 22 KB)
• An Abstract of the 2007 Pinchot Institute Assessment Report (See below for the full report and executive summary) (pdf 27 KB)
• Rocky Mountain Region - Water Emphasis: Front Range Watershed-Wildfire Effort (pdf 18 KB)
• Critical Community Watershed Wildfire Protection Plans: Guidelines for Implementation (pdf 93 KB)
• A Comparison of Critical Community Watershed Wildfire Protection Plans (CWP)2 and Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) (pdf 44 KB)
• Critical Community Watershed Wildfire Protection Plans (CWP)2: Development and Implementation Strategy Summary (pdf 26 KB)
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Front Range Watershed Protection Working Group - September 25, 2007 meeting notes - The group discussed their next steps, including an organizational structure that promotes the formulation of a strategy to protect watersheds. (pdf 30 KB)
Watershed Providers - August 16, 2007 meeting summary - Land management agencies met with the seven major Front Range water providers to discuss the assessment, Protecting Front Range Forest Watersheds from High-Severity Wildfires, funded by the Front Range Fuels Treatment Partnership and conducted by Pinchot Institute for Conservation. (pdf 40 KB)
Protecting Front Range Forest Watersheds from High-Severity Wildfires (pdf 2.36 MB) - The 2007 study, conducted by the Pinchot Institute for Conservation and funded by the Front Range Fuels Treatment Partnership, assessed the critical issue of the threat of high-severity wildfires to Colorado Front Range communities and their water supplies. A four-page executive summary of the report also is available. (pdf 329 KB)
Ponderosa Pine Photo Series
A photo guide for appraising downed woody masticated fuels in interior ponderosa pine forests on the Colorado Front Range is the first in a four-part series. Depending on your Internet connection, this may take a few minutes to download. (pdf 4.38 MB)
Fuel Modeling and Smoke Management
The Kennedy Gulch
prescribed burn demonstrated the wide variety of fuel loading found on
masticated areas. (pdf 92.5 KB)
Mixed Conifer Tour Photos - September 28-29, 2005
Chipping and Mastication Workshop - March 3, 2005
Photos and PowerPoint slides (converted to Acrobat format)
Third Annual FRFTP Implementers Meeting
Presentations given at the Third Annual FRFTP Implementers Meeting
Educational Publications
Downloadable fact sheets containing information about hazardous fuels treatment, fire mitigation or prevention, or forest health and restoration.