CCWUI

The Colfax Collaborative Wildland Urban Interface (CCWUI) Project will implement high priority fuels reduction work within the Wildland Urban Interface of nine forested, unincorporated communities located in the southwest portion of Colfax County. These nine communities are Black Lake, Black Lake East, Elk Ridge, Hidden Lake, Idlewild, Lakeview Pines, Taos Pines, Ute Park, and Val Verde. Numerous smaller communities, subdivisions, and homeowners’ associations are located within and underneath the umbrella of these nine communities.

The goal of this project is to reduce fuel loading and improve the defensible space within these nine communities. This project will create defensible space around homes and structures of value, thin forests to reduce hazardous fuel loadings, maintain existing fuel breaks, and create new fuel breaks. Fuels reduction treatments will be customized for the fuel type, terrain, and landowner. The project is estimated to take up to 5 years to complete. With an estimated total treatment area for this project of about 2606 acres on roughly 532 individual properties, the CWA intends to treat 700-850 acres per year on about 150-175 properties per year in order to meet the project’s goals and timeline.

Like much of northern New Mexico, forest, and fuels treatments on most lands within the project area have been neglected for many decades. This project will eliminate many barriers for so many of the landowners within the nine communities and help this area take a huge step towards reducing its wildfire risk. Landowners and community leaders will participate heavily in the project by meeting with CWA personnel and contractors to help coordinate and layout the fuels reduction work on their properties and within their communities.

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