Community Wildfire Mitigation Initiative
Horsetooth Lake Estates – Larimer County, Colorado
132-home WUI community • 50%+ participation • 40 tons of hazardous fuels removed (Year 1)
Kevin donated his expertise in wildfire mitigation, technical planning, and community outreach to help launch an annual wildfire mitigation initiative for the Horsetooth Lake Estates subdivision in the Wildland–Urban Interface of unincorporated Larimer County. The project was funded through a grant from the Larimer County Office of Emergency Management and focused on reducing hazardous fuels while building community awareness and participation.
The program combined homeowner education with coordinated fuels reduction and disposal. Participation exceeded 50% of the subdivision’s 132 homeowners in the first year, with residents removing brush, lumber from aging decks and fences, and other combustible materials from their properties.
Collected materials were staged for removal using wood chippers, roll-off containers, and trailers. The effort resulted in the removal of approximately 240 cubic yards of material, weighing an estimated 40 tons, significantly reducing potential wildfire intensity within the community.
The success of the inaugural effort led to a second grant from the Office of Emergency Management in 2023, establishing the project as an ongoing community program. Residential wildfire assessments conducted for participating homeowners also helped inform the development of Radiant Studio, Confluent Design’s practice focused on wildfire resilience.
132-home WUI community • 50%+ participation • 40 tons of hazardous fuels removed (Year 1)
Kevin donated his expertise in wildfire mitigation, technical planning, and community outreach to help launch an annual wildfire mitigation initiative for the Horsetooth Lake Estates subdivision in the Wildland–Urban Interface of unincorporated Larimer County. The project was funded through a grant from the Larimer County Office of Emergency Management and focused on reducing hazardous fuels while building community awareness and participation.
The program combined homeowner education with coordinated fuels reduction and disposal. Participation exceeded 50% of the subdivision’s 132 homeowners in the first year, with residents removing brush, lumber from aging decks and fences, and other combustible materials from their properties.
Collected materials were staged for removal using wood chippers, roll-off containers, and trailers. The effort resulted in the removal of approximately 240 cubic yards of material, weighing an estimated 40 tons, significantly reducing potential wildfire intensity within the community.
The success of the inaugural effort led to a second grant from the Office of Emergency Management in 2023, establishing the project as an ongoing community program. Residential wildfire assessments conducted for participating homeowners also helped inform the development of Radiant Studio, Confluent Design’s practice focused on wildfire resilience.