Update on 1/15/2016
The project to thin 90 acres at Betasso Preserve has been postponed. The project was originally scheduled to start in early 2016 and would reduce the density of ponderosa pine by 50 to 70 percent on county land adjacent to the City of Boulder’s Water Treatment Plant.
The project is currently being reevaluated and may be combined with another project that is scheduled to take place for the winter of 2015/2016. The combined projects will encompass approximately 200 acres in the immediate vicinity of the water treatment plant. More information will be posted at Betasso Preserve once plans are finalized later this summer.
For more information contact Stefan Reinold, Senior Resource Specialist-Forestry.
The Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department will soon be thinning 90 acres at Betasso Preserve Open Space. The project will take place on county land adjacent to the City of Boulder’s Betasso Water Treatment Plant beginning in fall 2015, and is expected to be completed in winter 2016. This is the first of two forestry projects planned for the open space property over the next several years.
The hazardous fuels reduction treatment is planned as part of the Betasso Preserve Management Plan, and funded through a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant. The management plan sets forest management objectives including thinning of the forest to reduce risk from catastrophic wildfires. Hazardous fuels reduction is also recommended by the Sugarloaf, Four Mile Canyon and Boulder County Community Wildfire Protection Plans as part of a community-wide effort to reduce risk from wildfire and protect critical infrastructure.
Hazardous fuels reduction treatments decrease possible fire intensity during a wildfire and increase safe access for fire fighters. The treatment will decrease forest density and address the fuels management goals of the Sugarloaf Fire Protection District, Four Mile Fire District, City of Boulder, Boulder County Land Use Department, and Boulder County Parks and Open Space.
The treatment will reduce density of ponderosa pine by 50 to 70 percent, implement the principles of ponderosa pine restoration whenever feasible, create a mosaic of forest cover and open spaces, utilize a wide variety of stand densities, and reduce hazardous fuels enough to allow protection of significant resources including the City of Boulder Betasso Water Treatment Plant and associated infrastructure including residences at Betasso Preserve.
Other valuable resources protected include: 200 private residences within two miles of Betasso Preserve, the City of Boulder Hydro-Electric Plant, the historic Betasso homestead, the Blanchard cabin, sedimentation and loss of water quality in Boulder Creek, and critical wildlife habitat (as defined in the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan).
What to Expect
Treatment will be visible from the Bummers Rock trail and Canyon Link trail. Park visitors will see the treatment from the main access road as they drive to the main parking area. There may be noise from chain saws, helicopters, wood processing, and log trucks. Operations are weather-dependent and will only be conducted during daylight hours.
Specific park closures have not yet been determined, but are contingent on ensuring the safety of staff and visitors.
More information about the treatment, including location and times of trail closures and impacts to visitors and residents, will be available prior to the start of the project.
Email bcforestry@bouldercounty.org to receive email updates for this project. Please contact Stefan Reinold, Boulder County Parks & Open Space Forestry Supervisor, at 303-678-6202 or sreinold@bouldercounty.org with any questions.