Content area
Full Text
The South Platte Ranger District in Jefferson County Colorado had a density of more than 120 mature ponderosa pine stems per acre early in 1996. Before settlement and fire suppression, low intensity wildfires occurred every 10 to 15 years, clearing underbrush and maintaining a stand density of 15 to 20 stems per acre. Measures to prevent fire in the Buffalo Creek watershed, including thinning and prescribed burns, had been started by the Forest Service. Because the area is close to Denver, use of fire is restricted by air quality considerations. Air quality restrictions...