Walker Ranch Meyers Homestead

Walker Ranch Open Space supports a mosaic of plant life including grassy meadows, dense shrubs, and ponderosa pine forests. Prior to settlement of the West, these forests were very open and maintained by frequent low intensity surface fires. With settlement came fire suppression, grazing and landscape fragmentation—all contributing factors in changing the structure and function of this ecosystem. In order to restore these ecosystems, Parks & Open Space implements thinning projects that emulate pre-settlement forest structure by creating a clumpy, uneven-aged forest structure interspersed with openings that more closely resembles conditions that existed prior to interruption of the historic fire regime. Slash piles are created from these thinning operations where all the branches from cut trees are stacked in large piles and then burned in the winter when snow is on the ground. Once these piles are burned, a “scar” is left, which is a disturbance that could potentially invite invasive plant species. With your help we will seed and mulch these scars to promote native vegetation.

Shane Milne
smilne@bouldercounty.org
303-678-6089

Register

Registration is required through Discover Boulder County, Parks & Open Space’s volunteer and event registration system. If you’re new to the system, you’ll need to create an account. But it’s easy and we only use your contact information to communicate about events you register for. We will never sell or give your information to a third party.