Wildfire Mitigation in Wildridge will Begin Monday, May 4^th 

The Town of Avon will conduct wildfire mitigation on Town-owned parcels in the Wildridge subdivision starting May 4^th, 2020 and continuing through the end of May. Mitigation efforts will focus on Town-owned open space parcels abutting private property.

The Wildridge subdivision can have extreme wildfire risk due to the southern exposure, sage brush vegetation, and sloped terrain. The risk of wildfire threatens life and property in Wildridge due to the urban/wildland interface and limited ingress and egress. The Town of Avon has adopted a long-term wildfire mitigation plan to reduce wildfire fuels and create more defensible space.

The primary means of fuel reduction are fire breaks created by hand cutting of woody fuels (mostly sage brush). There will be limited use of mastication in appropriate areas. All debris from these efforts will be gathered into slash piles.  The slash piles will be burned in the future during a period of high moisture with the assistance of the Eagle River Fire Protection District (ERFPD).

Key objectives are as follows:

• Create fire breaks in and around Wildridge by reducing vegetation to better protect homes
• Shortening fuel (vegetation) height to reduce potential flame height
• Decreasing vegetation continuity which reduces fire intensity and spread
• Create additional temporary refuge areas and improve others
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Residents can request a free home ignition zone assessment by contacting the ERFPD Wildland Mitigation Specialist Jeff Zechman at jzechman@eagleriverfire.org or (970) 471-2796.

Please direct all questions to Public Works Superintendent Drew Isaacson at (970)748-4105 or dissacson@avon.org.