The Estes Valley Watershed Coalition will host a screening of “Fireforest” Thursday evening at the Estes Valley Community Center.
Fort Collins filmmaker Evan Barrientos felt compelled to tell the story of the relationship of both fire and forest management following the Cameron Peak Fire in 2020 which consumed 209,000 acres in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Larimer and Jackson Counties and in Rocky Mountain National Park.
“During my early career in land management I was involved in prescribed fire and using fire as a tool to restore the health of ecosystems. And when I came to Colorado in 2018 I had a good background in that, but it was the Cameron peak fire that really showed me here two things, one, that the forests were not in a good state, and two, that that wasn’t going to change until people better understood forests and the role of fire in them,” said Barrientos in an interview with the Estes Valley Voice.
From an ecosystem perspective, Barrientos said, “Fire obviously can be a complex, dangerous, and scary thing, but it’s also a natural part of forests. It’s needed to restore the health of forests and to restore their ability to withstand fire.”
Over the past century, the policy of fire suppression has led to an overgrowth of forests which has created an abundance of biofuels that often create intense fires that can be far more difficult to manage.
Finding the right balance, what Barrientos calls the “nuance and complexity” between the human and forest interface is a challenge.
“During the Cameron Peak Fire, I just did not see that story being told. We see this pretty much everywhere across the world, the story about wildfires is always destruction, fighting fire, chaos, devastation, and those things certainly are a part of it. But it’s not the whole story. And it doesn’t include the positive parts of fire and what we can do proactively to reduce the size and severity of wildfires,” said Barrientos.
“I saw that need and I decided that I would try creating something to help fill that gap in information.”
After earning an undergraduate degree from Cornell University, Barrientos began using photography and filmmaking to support his jobs in conservation. He found visual storytelling to be an effective medium in helping inform the public’s understanding about conservation. Six years ago, Barrientos moved to Fort Collins and took a job with the Audubon Society. Today he is the Senior Communications Manager for Audubon Rockies.
“Fireforest” is a 17-minute documentary that explores the problems created by a century of fire suppression policies and the need to develop new strategies to fight fires proactively.
In addition to managing fires through mitigation efforts—such as prescribed burns, thinning the forest of overgrowth to create fuel breaks, and removing highly flammable biofuels—Barrientos’ film invites discussion about what happens after a fire to the burn scar, to the air, the climate, and the local watershed.
High intensity fires create dangerous and complicated ecological problems. When the forest floor is damaged by fire it may not be able to act as a natural sponge or a filter when it rains. The result can cause erosion and landslides which can create life threatening conditions.
Wildfires release toxic pollutants which not only affect air quality but impact the climate by creating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
Fires also impact water quality for communities as ash, burned materials, and sediments from excessive runoff flow into nearby streams and rivers.
The Estes Valley Watershed Coalition will explore the important forest-to-faucet connection Thursday night with a panel discussion following the film.
The Cameron Peak and East Troublesome Fires
People in the Estes Valley are understandably sensitive to the threat of wildland fires especially after experiencing the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome Fires just four years ago.
The Cameron Peak Fire, which was the largest wildfire in the state’s history, began on August 13, 2020, near the Chambers Lake recreational area northwest of Estes Park.
Two months later, the East Troublesome Fire began on October 14 near Kremling and burned 193,812 acres, becoming the state’s second largest fire. At one point, the two fires came within 10 miles of each other.
Between October 21 and October 22, the East Troublesome Fire exploded in size from 19,000 acres to more than 170,000 acres and rapidly pushed east jumping the Continental Divide and racing toward Estes Park before stopping within a half mile of the YMCA of the Rockies.
Under ominous orange skies and with the threat of fire coming into town, mandatory evacuation orders were issued for Estes Park on October 22.
The Cameron Peak fire was contained on December 2, 2020, at a cost of $132 million to fight and contain; the East Troublesome Fire was contained on November 30, 2020, at a cost of $15.7 million. These figures do not count the cost of property or human lives lost. Two people died in the East Troublesome Fire.
The documentary and panel discussion with the filmmaker and representatives from the Larimer Conservation District, U.S. Forest Service, Estes Valley Fire Protection District, and Estes Valley Watershed Coalition are an opportunity for the community to engage in a conversation about firefighting and fire mitigation policy considerations.
When: Thursday, August 22
Time: 5:30 – Meet and Greet and get your pizza, 2 slices per person
6:20 – Fireforest film screening
6:45 – Panel Q&A
While the program is free, the Estes Valley Watershed Coalition suggests a $10 per person donation to support the coalition’s efforts.
To register, please click here.