Hazard Fuel Vegetation Monitoring Mesa Verde National Park, 2000
Coon C and Wong F. 2000. Hazard Fuel Vegetation Monitoring Mesa Verde National Park, 2000. Mesa Verde, CO
Decades of fire suppression at Mesa Verde National Park have resulted in heavy fuel loading. When ignited, these fuels can burn out of control, as seen in the Chapin 5 fire (1996) and the Bircher and Pony fires (2000). In 1993, the Park decided to develop a Hazard Fuel Reduction program to protect structures on Chapin Mesa in case of a large wildfire incident. The program protocol requires the reduction of canopy cover to 20 feet crown spacing between trees in developed areas to create fuel breaks. Tree reduction involves ground crews and chainsaws; the resulting slash is then removed by hand from the area. In areas where removal of the fuels is unfeasible, such as backcountry alcove sites, the fuels are scattered outside of treatment areas.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Coon, Cheryl; Wong, Fred
- Date of Issue
- 2000
- Units
- MEVE
- Keywords
- Fire Management, Fuel Reduction, Management