1800s
Undeveloped landscape
Frequent, low to moderate wildfires were once common in the forested foothills and mountains west and southwest of the area we now know as Denver. In the mid 1800’s settlers, mining and entrepreneur activity (prospecting, trapping, trading, building structures, and cattle grazing) began to replace natural disturbance and indigenous cultural uses as the primary influence on Front Range forests. Since then, fire suppression practices designed to protect human life and property as populations grew, along with historic grazing and mining activities, have impacted the way forests function. Tree densities have increased while forest diversity has decreased, resulting in less resilient forests, higher fuel loads, and more intense fires. Fires like these also frequently result in devastating post-fire flooding, erosion, and debris flow events along with many other negative impacts to people, water, and wildlife in this watershed.
(Photograph taken by John Jack of an area on the Pike National Forest “never visited by lumbermen” (Jack 1900), illustrating the open nature of ponderosa pine stands and a diverse stand structure. Also pictured are snags, downed wood, and an herbaceous understory. Source: GTR-373. Used with permission.)
Early 1900s
Fire supression practices begin
Fire suppression practices designed to protect human life and property, along with growing stationary populations, cattle/horse grazing, and other activities, have impacted the way Colorado grasslands and forests function. Tree densities began to increase while forest diversity decreased. This has resulted in less resilient forests, higher fuel loads, and the loss of wildlife, bird, and beneficial insect habitats, among other impacts.
(Photo-sequence from Veblen and Lorenz (1991) depicting forest conditions in 1898 and again in 1984 near Boulder, CO. Source: GTR-373. Used with permission.)
May 18, 1996
Buffalo Creek Fire
Buffalo Creek Fire (human caused) leads to nearly 12,000 acres and 10 dwellings burned.
(Photo source: Denver Water. Used with permission)
July 12, 1996
Flood debris inundates Strontia Springs Reservoir
Two months after the Buffalo Creek Fire, a significant rain event occurs causing major flooding and damages. A million cubic yards of sediment and debris from the burn scar area filled Strontia Springs Reservoir. This is equivalent to 15 years of sedimentation in one single flooding event. Denver Water has spent ~$30M in clean up over subsequent years. Costs and impacts are still felt 30 years later, and counting.
(Photo source: Denver Water. Used with permission)
2015
USPP formally organized
In 2015, a group of locally focused agencies aware of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategies came together with one shared concern: how to protect the Upper South Platte watershed’s forests, water, and communities in the face of increasing wildfire risk. That collaboration became the Upper South Platte Partnership (USPP). The partnership has grown into a trusted network making measurable impacts across the landscape.
USPP has been planning and implementing collaborative forest health and wildfire mitigation efforts within the watershed landscape since it convened. The USPP is made up of independent partners working collaboratively for a greater purpose and a greater good for the benefit of the landscape, communities, drinking water supply, and ecosystems.
January 2022
USPP identified as high-risk landscape
The USPP landscape is included in the original 10 National Wildfire Crisis Strategy high‐risk landscapes across the US. This landscape extends to the north and south across 3.6 million acres within Colorado’s Front Range. The Upper South Platte watershed is located at the heart of this nationally prioritized wildfire risk management landscape and makes up nearly 1/3 of the total acreage designated in CO.
(Image source: Confronting the Wildfire Crisis, USFS 2022)