Graham, Russell; Finney, Mark; McHugh, Chuck; Cohen, Jack; Stratton, Rick; Bradshaw, Larry; Nikolov, Ned; Calkin, Dave
10/27/2011
This document summarizes the preliminary findings of
Working with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) assembled a team to assess the Fourmile Canyon Fire fire that burned within six miles of Boulder, Colorado in September, 2010. This document is a summary of their preliminary findings subject to change and refinement as the assessment process is finalized. At that time the methods, results, and conclusions will be peer reviewed to meet the quality standards of Forest Service Research and Development and will be subsequently published by the Rocky Mountain Research Station.
The fire destroyed more homes than any other wildfire in Colorado's history. Being located near Boulder, the area where the fire burned contained many homes, businesses, and prized recreational lands. Because of these values and the 3,500 residents evacuated from the area, the fire was the nation's top priority at the time. LANDFIRE vegetation and fuel maps were used in the evaluation process.