CENTRAL SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — A Facebook post by the Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) served as a warning to the public about people interfering with an active wildfire mitigation project at Union Meadows Open Space — and according to officials, the problem is happening at a higher rate than ever before.
Cory Ashby, with the CSFD Wildfire Mitigation Section, says residents have been ignoring project closures, tearing down signs and ripping out flagging markers. But here's the thing: all of it is a violation of fire code.
"We have had issues with people taking down signs in the past. It seems with this project, though, in particular, it's at a high volume or higher frequency than we've had in the past," Ashby said.
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The project at Union Meadows Open Space is designed to make the forest and surrounding community more fire-resilient.
Ashby says the negative community reaction, or rudeness that the Facebook post depicts, stems partly from a common misconception about what orange flagging actually signals.
Orange flagging or markers at the site do not mean a tree will be cut down — the markers are actually boundaries for contractors treating the landscape.
"Some people think that when we're cutting trees down, that that's not wildfire mitigation. Actually, this is wildfire mitigation. It is creating a healthier forest. We're not clear-cutting. We're leaving healthy, resilient trees to perpetuate into the future," Ashby said.
The long-term goal of the project is to reduce the risk of high-severity wildfires that can endanger residents, homes and first responders alike.
"That's dangerous for our firefighters. It's dangerous for our community, and it's dangerous for the homes and the people that live next to them, so thinning out the forest makes it healthier. It'll perpetuate into the future and hopefully be a safer when fire comes into the community and or forest," Ashby said.
Ashby made clear that the work cannot be done safely with unauthorized people in the project area.
"We are trying to create a safe community, and we can't create a safe community right now with people in the project area, and we need people to heed that warning," Ashby said.
Ashby said the project at Union Meadows Open Space is expected to continue through the beginning of December. So for the public's safety, he recommends trying to find a new trail to take.
