Slash Chipping  

The Four Mile Fire Crew is a certified chipping contractor through Boulder County Wildfire Partners.  

Slash Pile Burning 

As part of our district’s forest restoration and wildfire mitigation work, we execute controlled burns as a method of disposing of biomass on some project sites. 

Wood chipping is generally our preferred biomass disposal method, but for many projects this is not an available option; we cannot create too deep of a layer of wood chips for several reasons, and sometimes we cannot access our projects with the woodchipper. 

In these cases, we build slash piles that are left to cure, and then are burned in the winter. We acquire all permits through Boulder County, and we have several highly trained firefighters with years of experience managing and supervising pile burns. 

There are many items in our checklist that we review to ensure any planned burn will be safe and successful, including: air quality, snow coverage and quality, forecasted and observed wind speeds, forecasted temperatures, communication with property owners and communication with the Boulder County Communications Center.  

When you see more than several inches of snow on the ground, you will commonly see smoke from one of our burns. Also, many landowners are trained in slash pile burning, and are permitted to conduct their own pile burns, so you may notice smoke originating from multiple locations in the foothills on ‘burn days.’ 

Pile burning is always a multi-day project. On day one, we ignite the piles and work throughout the day to ensure that they will be secure for the night. Throughout the night it is normal and safe for smoldering smoke and flames to be visible—If we aren’t comfortable leaving the piles smoldering overnight, we do not conduct the burn in the first place. On the following day, we work to fully extinguish the piles. If there is no detectable heat at the end of the second day, we call the pile burn complete. If there is any detectable heat, or there is a forecast of warmer temperatures or increased wind, we return to check the piles on the third day. 

For more information on slash pile burns, please contact coghill@fourmilefire.org or kennedy@fourmilefire.org.  

Hazard Tree Felling  

The Four Mile Fire Crew is comprised of several NWCG certified Basic and Intermediate Fallers. Please reach out to districtadmin@fourmilefire.org or call (303) 449-3333 to schedule a time for our crew to come out and quote the project.  

Landscape-Scale Thinning Projects 

The Four Mile Fire Crew is largely funded by work conducted on landscape-scale mitigation projects. These projects are funded through grants, homeowner contributions, and agricultural tax programs.  

The Four Mile Fire Crew has recently completed landscape-scale mitigation projects on the Poorman Road hillside (FMFPD) and at Sacred Mountain Ashram (GHFPD). The Four Mile Fire Crew is currently working on Eagles Drive (SFPD). 

Do-It-Yourself Mitigation

With funding from Wildfire Partners, Four Mile Fire Protection District has a Community Mitigation Tool Library located at Poorman Station.  

Please fill out the Google Form linked here if you are interested in renting tools.  

We also want to encourage community members within our district to take steps to mitigate their property.  

Check out the following resources for tips: 

• Colorado State Forest Service Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) Guide 

• Firewise USA How to Prepare Your Home for Wildfires 

• Colorado State University Extension and CSFS Low Flammability Landscape Plants 

• City of Boulder Wildland Fire Preparedness Guide 

• University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Wildfire Preparedness