Jeffco Open Space (JCOS) will treat approximately 37 acres of ponderosa, aspen, mixed conifer, and lodgepole forests in Meyer Ranch Park. This work will focus on healthy forest structure, aspen enhancement, and wildfire risk reduction. Work is scheduled for completion by the end of 2022 and will contribute to our Conservation Greenprint goal for improving forest health on 1,000 acres of JCOS lands by the year 2025.
Treated areas will become much more open as unnaturally dense pockets of trees are thinned. Under natural conditions, frequent low-intensity fires would remove most young conifers, and infrequent high severity fires would almost completely replace dense stands, particularly lodgepole pine. A century of wildfire suppression has created an ecologically unhealthy forest with higher risk of catastrophic wildfire than would naturally occur in this area. JCOS management is intended to mimic the natural processes of fire to restore these forests to a more natural, healthy, and resilient condition.