Fires across Colorado

[AvidIndoorsman]

@wllm1313 , If it were RMNP, which is as sparse as it comes, and is rampant with beetle kill, would you say let it burn, or fight it? I understand the other ramifications, but at what point do we just accept nature as being nature. We want wolves , because they are a natural occurrence, but fight fires, many of which are lightning caused, with everything we have. Im having a hard time seeing the lines.

I'm going to have to abstain from that question due to a conflict of interest, I'm 1/8 owner of a cabin just off of the park boundary.

I agree a lot of that grand/summit county area needs to burn. Honestly it's only a matter of time before shadow mountain goes up.

There was a thread a while back where mentioned some of the issues with fire management in summit county. (Typical HT that thread went off the rails... hard)

Behind the decision to allow chain saws in Southwest Colorado wilderness areas

Guess in some cases chainsaws will be allowed in wilderness. https://durangoherald.com/articles/279057-behind-decision-to-allow-chain-saws-in-southwest-colorado-wilderness-areas?fbclid=IwAR1IwKXT8Uxf7yKTSVSYp0x5R9tpC-PMCcoE7uZQrV14sr3yxWNby2KTUl0

www.hunttalk.com

 

[trb]

With no significant rain on the way, this is probably going to get worse before it gets better. The Cameron Peak fire area has so much beetle kill and is a wind tunnel coming off of North Park, I expect that one to get quite a bit bigger.

 

[Bigjay73]

I'm going to have to abstain from that question due to a conflict of interest, I'm 1/8 owner of a cabin just off of the park boundary.

I agree a lot of that grand/summit county area needs to burn. Honestly it's only a matter of time before shadow mountain goes up.

There was a thread a while back where mentioned some of the issues with fire management in summit county. (Typical HT that thread went off the rails... hard)

Behind the decision to allow chain saws in Southwest Colorado wilderness areas

Guess in some cases chainsaws will be allowed in wilderness. https://durangoherald.com/articles/279057-behind-decision-to-allow-chain-saws-in-southwest-colorado-wilderness-areas?fbclid=IwAR1IwKXT8Uxf7yKTSVSYp0x5R9tpC-PMCcoE7uZQrV14sr3yxWNby2KTUl0

www.hunttalk.com

Fair enough

 

[Phaseolus]

I'm starting to wonder if we should even fight them unless property and life is in danger. Our forests are a nasty mess of beetle kill, why put off the inevitable?

The Pine Gulch fire is PJ, pinyon and juniper, so your comment does not apply to that fire.

 

[Bigjay73]

Yeah, we covered that a while back

 

[BuzzH]

and highway 14 now closed due to another fire - cameron peak fire. that's a serious beetle kill forest, and not terribly far from the western reaches of the 2012 high park fire which really blew up due to beetle kill

as far as more transportion routes across the continential divide in regards to OP comment..... pretty much wherever there aren't massive mountains and/or wilderness areas and a viable option exists, there is a road that gets you across the divide

Picture of the Cameron Peak fire off my deck about 30 minutes ago...can see it right now as I'm typing and its just about to start breaking through the inversion layer.

 

[Hummer]

From near our cabin south of Estes Park off the SE corner of RMNP, the Cameron Peak fire looks very much like that. We're mostly getting smoke from the Pine Gulch and Grizzly Creek fires.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

The Pine Gulch fire is PJ, pinyon and juniper, so your comment does not apply to that fire.

As a general rule though, PJ ecosystems are very much overgrown and have a much higher stand density than they historically did.

 

[TOGIE]

Picture of the Cameron Peak fire off my deck about 30 minutes ago...can see it right now as I'm typing and its just about to start breaking through the inversion layer.

yeesh. that's quite a view, and the looks of a fire that's exploding. even if i wanted to try navigate to where i could see that plume i'm blocked by this smoke screen seen from the northernish front range from all the other fires

there is normally a massive wall of 12,000 foot peaks, a half dozen 13,000 foot peaks and a 14,000 foot peak available in this view:



fun game to count all the toyotas and subarus in my complex's parking lot...

 

[JohnCushman]

The guy with the pick up truck must just be visiting

 

[TOGIE]

The guy with the pick up truck must just be visiting

lots of young single girls with subarus = lots of visitors with pickups round here

 

[BuzzH]

Update, its starting to chug pretty good now:

 

[TN_Rifle_Junkie]

We drove through Colorado on I-70 (West to East) earlier this week to get my taxidermy in New Castle. We tried to use the Independence Pass but were redirected up to Craig and then over to Silverthorne. It added about 6 hours to our trip but revisiting the area was nice. It was a shame to see the first as soon as we got near Colorado coming from Utah.

 

[Gynaroo]

When we were heading out down grand this morning there was very little smoke. It’s crazy how big it gets everyday.

Update, its starting to chug pretty good now:

 

[Big Slick]

We went Craig yesterday from LaSalle. We had to go north to Laramie then south through Walden. Highway 14 is closed as well.

 

[nrpate05]

yeesh. that's quite a view, and the looks of a fire that's exploding. even if i wanted to try navigate to where i could see that plume i'm blocked by this smoke screen seen from the northernish front range from all the other fires

there is normally a massive wall of 12,000 foot peaks, a half dozen 13,000 foot peaks and a 14,000 foot peak available in this view:

View attachment 150476

fun game to count all the toyotas and subarus in my complex's parking lot...

Thats funny, my sister used to live in that apartment complex I believe. Looks very familiar..

 

[Phaseolus]

As a general rule though, PJ ecosystems are very much overgrown and have a much higher stand density than they historically did.

I’d like to see more controlled burns, just not now. My comment meant that PJ doesn't get logged even if ‘they’ let them And that there aren’t as many standing dead or deadfalls as higher altitude fires. Pinyon ips beetles has taken it’s toll though.

 

[Dsnow9]

Denver has been pretty Smokey the last couple days, but my parents live at the end of that PJ forest before it really gets into town at the grizzly creek fire and are in the thick of it. They back up to the blm and some fairly steep hillsides. Pre evacuation notice at this point.


The picture above is from Denver. The picture below is my moms drive home, in the center you can see the edge of the flames, they live half way up the hill on the left side of the photo.

 

[TOGIE]

Thats funny, my sister used to live in that apartment complex I believe. Looks very familiar..

they all tend to look similar, I’ve found. But this one is noticeable with its open field entrance from the west. These ones are technically condos however

 

[TOGIE]

woke up to flecks of ash on the grill cover this morning. i'm averaging about 140 miles away from 3 of the main fires up wind of me