Detailed computer maps that will help local fire-protection districts
battle wildland blazes and aid landowners in reducing fire risks
are nearly finished in Montezuma County.
In 2000, the state Legislature passed a bill authorizing counties
to develop fire-management plans (as opposed to strict fire-suppression
plans) and implement mapping programs that would mesh with wildfire
maps done for public lands.
Now, after a year’s labor, Montezuma County has become one
of the first counties on the Western Slope to finish its work, according
to county mapping specialist James Dietrich.
The county’s “Polygon Project” is essentially
complete, with only some technical tasks remaining in order to make
the information available to local fire districts and the public.
The term “polygon,” familiar to legions of geometry
students, refers in this case to chunks of land that are designated
according to their susceptibility to wildfire and their road access,
Dietrich explained.
Using data compiled by Rob Peterka of the county planning department,
Dietrich has divided the entire county, except for public and tribal
lands, into 86 polygons, each of which is given a designation from
A to D.
“A” polygons are those where a wildfire would be considered
“absolutely disastrous” because the area contains homes,
critical watersheds or infrastructure, cultural resources or other
valuable qualities, Dietrich said.
“B” polygons are areas where wildfire is viewed as
highly undesirable under current fuel and drought conditions, but
where fire could be part of a management plan once conditions change.
Such areas would include sparsely populated tracts such as open
range or undeveloped forests, Dietrich said.
“C” and “D” polygons contain unpopulated
land where wildland fire is acceptable or even desirable to reduce
hazardous fuels.
The county’s “A” and “B” polygons
have each been named and analyzed according to slope, vegetation,
and features such as buildings and roads. Dietrich said he has not
yet conducted detailed analyses of the other polygons but will at
a later date.
The maps are based on aerial photographs, the state database,
and U.S. Geological Survey information. They are detailed enough
that individual stands of trees can be discerned when the user zooms
in with the computer.
Mesa Verde National Park will conduct similar mapping soon, Dietrich
said. The Forest Service has already mapped most of its land, he
said, while the Bureau of Land Management will be going through
a similar process for Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
Eventually, all the data will mesh seamlessly with maps of public
lands and neighboring counties.
The goal, Dietrich said, is for each fire district to have the
information on disk, so that when a wildfire breaks out, firefighters
with a laptop computer can see how best to reach remote areas, what
slopes and vegetation lie ahead, and how the fire will likely behave.
In addition, Montezuma County Fire Warden Sherman Kennell can
use the information to decide which landowners he needs to contact
regarding fire-risk reduction, Dietrich noted.
Dietrich said, despite the ongoing drought and the bark-beetle
infestation that has decimated piñons, much of Montezuma
County is not at critical risk for wildfire.
“It’s so chopped up with agricultural parcels and
such, what you have is really a number of hot spots with areas between
as fire breaks,” he said. “If we can work on those hot
spots, maybe we won’t ever have a Missionary Ridge (fire)
here.”
He has been helping landowners in large subdivisions such as the
139-lot Cedar Mesa Ranches subdivision near the Mesa Verde entrance
to use the maps to plan fire-mitigation work and develop evacuation
routes.
“We’re trying to empower the community to do as much
planning on their own as they can, and communicate those plans to
the fire districts,” he said.
Although the mapping is largely complete, the data will have to
be updated regularly as development continues. “This can’t
be a static project,” Dietrich said. “It will have to
be updated over the years.”
The information is not yet available on the Internet, but eventually
it will be, he said. In the meantime, anyone who wants to look at
a particular polygon or receive fire-planning assistance for a subdivision
can contact Dietrich at his office in the Montezuma County Courthouse,
565-8525.
