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Forest Service working to reduce fire risk near Rampart Range Reservoir

Posted at 10:38 PM, Mar 10, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-11 00:38:46-05

EL PASO COUNTY — The U.S. Forest Service is working to reduce wildfire risk near the Rampart Range Reservoir.

The work is part of the larger "Upper Monument Creek Project" that is expected to last ten years.

Forest managers are working to thin out the trees and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires in the area. This also helps restore the diversity of vegetation and wildlife in the area.

The work around the reservoir is scheduled to finish in June.

"The south-facing slopes tend to be more open ponderosa pine. Those have been heavily encroached with trees, so we're kind of really knocking those ones back. You can kind of estimate maybe we're removing about 70% of the trees there," Ryan Harlow with the Forest Service said.

The trees being removed will eventually end up in sawmills in Pueblo and Canon City.