BLM tackles wildfire threat in Eby Creek subdivision near Eagle

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, CO—Reducing the threat of wildfire to destroy homes is one of the priorities of federal land managers. For homeowners in Eby Creek just north of Eagle, a fuel treatment project set to begin Oct. 14 will provide a break between their homes and heavily forested BLM lands.

Some homes in the Eby Creek area are adjacent to BLM lands. Local fire officials estimated that 13 houses on the west side of Neilson Gulch Drive and 7 houses on the southern loop of Mesa Drive do not have defensible space that would allow fire crews to protect these homes if a wildfire threatened the subdivision. Another 20 houses along the southwest corner of the subdivision could also be threatened in the event of a wildfire.

The BLM, in cooperation with the Eby Creek Homeowners Assoc., Eagle County, the Greater Eagle Fire District and the Town of Eagle, will begin fuel reduction on BLM lands to provide fuel breaks and defensible space in the area.

“Reducing the number of trees will create a fuel break that helps reduce fire intensity and the ability of a fire to move through the crown. This provides a defensible space for suppression, allowing fire fighters to engage and control the fire,” said Dan Sokal, the BLM project lead.

On Oct. 14 a hydro ax will cut and shred trees to the west and south of the homes. The hydro ax will thin out trees on both sides of existing trails to create three major fuel breaks. The hydro ax will not be used close to homes. Approximately 33 acres will be cleared with the hydro ax during a five-day period.

Hand crews will thin trees on public land immediately adjacent to homes in the area beginning Oct. 20. The two to four week project will use handsaws and a chipper for slash disposal. For more information about the project, contact Sokal at 970-947-2810.

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Editor’s note: the media are invited to an Oct. 15 tour of the project with the Northwest Council of Governments. The tour will meet at the Eagle City Market parking lot at 10 a.m.