As wildfires continue to devastate Los Angeles, the parallels to the Roaring Fork Valley are stark and unavoidable. Our landscape mirrors many of the risk factors seen in California, from wind-driven flames racing across dry fuels to the challenges of protecting homes built within the wildland-urban interface (WUI).

The science is clear: each year wildfires become larger, more intense, and increasingly difficult to manage. Decades of fire suppression, coupled with warming temperatures and prolonged drought, have created conditions where fire behavior defies traditional containment strategies. Here in the Roaring Fork Valley, where fire is a natural part of the ecosystem, we must accept that wildfire is inevitable and adapt accordingly. 

Resilience is our best defense. While we can’t eliminate wildfire, we can reduce its impact through proactive planning and community-wide action.

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The Roaring Fork Valley Wildfire Collaborative is making significant progress on these fronts, drawing from the collective power of working together. Key to that success are public and private partnerships, where government, fire districts, community leaders and experts, the private sector, and concerned citizens are coming together to impact real change. 

The key to wildfire resilience involves two key strategies: managing the forests that surround our communities and hardening homes.

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Managing Forests and Reducing Fuels

Without active management, our forests become overgrown, turning into a tinderbox of fuels, including dry and dead trees. Strategic interventions—such as prescribed burns, mechanical thinning, and fuel breaks—are essential for improving forest health and slowing the progression of wildfire. These measures not only give firefighters more time to act and residents more time to evacuate, but also improve the health of our forests which benefits our watersheds, ecosystems, and wildlife. 

The Collaborative is currently facilitating seven large-scale forest projects, including:

• a prescribed burn on Sunnyside mountain in Aspen (with the USFS and Aspen Fire), 
• a 3,300-acre midvalley project that will create a critical fire break for Snowmass Village (with Roaring Fork Fire, the CSFS, USFS, and Sopris Mountain Ranch HOA),
• fuels reduction projects in residential Basalt and Marble (with Towns of Basalt and Marble, Wilds HOA, CPW, CSFS, and both Carbondale and Roaring Fork Fire Districts),
• large cross-boundary projects in Carbondale and at least two Glenwood Springs locations

These multi-partner efforts represent a critical investment in protecting lives, homes, and ecosystems. 

Also, because wildfire can set off a chain of natural disasters, we’re working on a watershed-wide post-fire hazards plan to proactively plan for the flooding, debris flows, and slides that follow fire.

Empowering Homeowners via Strategies and Funding

While work in the forests is a critical tool for slowing fast-progressing fires and preventing post-fire hazards, hardening houses against embers and flames is one of the most effective ways to protect property.

Simple measures, such as installing ember-resistant vents, clearing roofs and gutters of debris, and managing vegetation around the home can make a significant difference. Creating defensible space—a buffer zone free of flammable materials within 0 to 30+ feet of a structure—further reduces risk. 

The best place to start is to get a no-cost wildfire risk assessment, which will provide you with a prioritized list of recommendations. Once completed, the Collaborative supports homeowners with assistance funding to complete actions for home resilience. Residents valley-wide can learn more and sign up at http://www.rfvwildfire.org.

A Collaborative Approach

The solutions are clear: forest management and home hardening work together to create a safer valley, but implementing these strategies requires coordination and collaboration across all levels—individuals, communities, and organizations. 

Out of this necessity, the Collaborative was founded by our local fire and forestry leaders who recognized the importance of collaboration to protect our high-risk valley. It was incubated as a program within the Aspen Institute and launched as a standalone 501c3 nonprofit in April 2024. The Collaborative has already achieved significant progress, from implementing large-scale forest projects to leading public education campaigns and securing funding for valley-wide hazard and opportunity mapping.

In just one year, the Collaborative has brought $2.4 million in wildfire resiliency funding to the valley, yielding an $19-to-$1 return on investment.

A Call to Action

The Roaring Fork Valley Wildfire Collaborative along with our fire districts, forest leaders, and communities are already making a difference, but the scale of the work ahead is significant.

As we witness the strength and resilience of Los Angeles communities facing devastating wildfires, it’s a poignant reminder of what is at stake—and what is possible when people come together. We have the opportunity to take bold, proactive steps to protect the places we love before disaster strikes.

Join us in our work – together, we can ensure that our forests, our homes, and our way of life endure for generations to come.

Angie Davlyn is the Executive Director of the Roaring Fork Valley Wildfire Collaborative, which works to keep people and property in the Roaring Fork Valley safer and more resilient from devastating wildfires. Learn more at RFVwildfire.org.