Partners work together to reduce impacts from wildland forest fires.

Boulder County, Colo. - Boulder County joined Colorado Governor Jared Polis, state officials from the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, and Colorado State Forest Service at Heil Valley Ranch this afternoon to celebrate the extension of an important agreement with the U.S. Forest Service on shared stewardship of lands in Colorado and to highlight the progress made to reduce the impact of forest fires in highly susceptible communities and on critical infrastructure. 

In 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service released its national Shared Stewardship strategy outlining three core elements: determine management needs on a state level, do the right work in the right places at the right scale, use all available tools for active management. In a shared stewardship approach, the USDA Forest Service seeks to share decision space with state and Tribal foresters and other partners to determine land management needs at the state and Tribal level.

The Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Forest Service signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2019 to work together in Shared Stewardship. In May 2024, the U.S. Forest Service and Colorado Department of Natural Resources extended the agreement for an additional 10 years.

Local Impacts

Boulder County has been severely impacted by wildfires both in the foothills and its eastern plains.

“Over half of the land in Boulder County is forested, which means responsible forest management is hugely important to us,” said Boulder County Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann. “The forest provides us with clean air and water, habitat for wildlife, recreational opportunities, and a way of living, but it continues to face increasing challenges, including larger and increasingly destructive wildfires, especially as human development moves closer to wildland areas. The Shared Stewardship approach empowers us to work with local, state, and federal partners to invest in a thoughtful management strategy and ensure the greatest opportunity for success.”

In 2020, Boulder County became an active participant in the Saint Vrain Forest Health Partnership and received COSWAP Landscape Resilience Investment funding of $1 million. The collaborative work continued into 2023 with the cross-boundary Phase 1 Saint Vrain Forest Health Partnership Project with The Watershed Center, City of Longmont, Colorado State Forest Service, Boulder Valley and Longmont Conservation Districts and private landowners, which also benefitted from COSWAP funds. As a partner in this shared stewardship, the 2020 multi-agency MOU began the official spirit of collaboration with fuels reduction and forest management across boundaries.

Another grant in 2024—the Hall Ranch/Hansen/Riverside Ranch (Conifer Hill) CSFS-ILG grant with 50% county cash match funding— funded work on 352 acres and two forestry planning positions for 2.5 years. It builds on the prior year’s project with multiple agencies and private landowners on Conifer Hill joining the efforts.

Looking forward, there are plans for Middle Boulder Creek Fuels Reduction Partnership Project with COSWAP-LRI and Boulder County funding for more than 200 acres directly west of Nederland. Partners include Boulder Watershed Collective, Arapahoe Ranch, USFS, Town of Nederland, Colorado State Forest Service, and Boulder County.

Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann speaks at the celebration of the renewed shared stewardship agreement for Colorado lands at Heil Valley Ranch on Monday, Sept. 30.