DEL NORTE—The Colorado State Forest Service and their partners, Rio Grande and Center Conservation Districts will host a workshop on defensible space and planning for a wildfire. The workshop will be held at 10362 County Road 7 N, Del Norte on Sept. 15 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. and is intended for homeowners interested in protecting their homes from a potential wildfire.
“The added haze in the air from the wildfires in the northwest part of the United States got the Rio Grande and Center Conservation Districts thinking about ways to help local homeowners prepare,” said Brenda Anderson, Conservation District manager. “We also think this is a good time of year to help prepare homeowners, who may be leaving for the season, make sure their houses are as safe as possible from wildfires when winterizing them.”
Adam Moore, Alamosa district forester says, “This is a hands on workshop where in the morning residents will learn about how houses ignite during a wildfire and what is defensible space”. This will be followed by lunch provided by the conservation districts. The afternoon will focus on practicing some basic methods on how to protect your property from wildfires, such as pruning and what you can do with simple hand tools you may have around the house. The afternoon will also feature a demonstration on how to properly use a wood chipper. Rio Grande and South Fork Fire Departments have jointly purchased a wood chipper and you will learn what you need to do to borrow this equipment.
Anyone living in the wildland-urban interface, or WUI, which is any area where structures and other human developments meet or intermingle with wildland vegetative fuels, should plan on attending. “This can be a place in an obvious location like the mountains, surrounded by trees, or even in a small town like Del Norte or even near the Rio Grande River.” Moore says.
The workshop is free for the first 20 people who register, registration after that will be $20/person and will include lunch. To register for this event, you can call Brenda at 719.3400 x104 or email [email protected]. Registration will close Sept. 13 or earlier if the attendee limit is reached.