**Steamboat Springs, Colorado-September 9, 2026-**A 1.6-acre wildfire mitigation project near the Sanctuary Trail is now complete, reducing hazardous fuels and improving wildfire resilience while protecting Fish Creek, wildlife habitat and a popular recreational area.
“Wildfire mitigation is about finding the right balance between reducing hazardous fuels and protecting the natural resources and places our community values,” said Deputy Chief Ian Satterfield. “This project demonstrates how we can improve wildfire resilience while maintaining habitat, recreation and the health of our riparian areas.”
The project is part of the city’s ongoing efforts to create a more resilient, fire-adapted community by reducing wildfire risk within the wildland-urban interface and connecting new fuel treatments with previous work to create larger, more effective landscape fuel breaks.
The Sanctuary Trail project area included a public trailhead and Fish Creek. Crews removed dead, dying and diseased trees, thinned dense stands to improve spacing between tree crowns and reduced vegetation that could allow wildfire to spread vertically into tree canopies. Healthy trees, aspen stands and shrub groups were retained to maintain habitat and landscape diversity.
Treatment methods varied based on vegetation type. In aspen stands, crews removed dead, dying and diseased trees and selectively thinned dense areas while retaining healthy aspen cover. In mixed-conifer areas, crews prioritized removal of dead and dying trees and smaller trees that created ladder fuels, while retaining healthy, well-formed trees that contribute to forest structure and resilience.
Shrub vegetation was also selectively reduced where it could function as ladder fuel beneath tree canopies. Healthy shrub groups were retained in a variable-density pattern to support habitat, vegetation diversity and breaks in fuel continuity.
“Protecting Fish Creek was a key consideration throughout the project,” commented Forestry Technician Anna Sisson. The creek and adjacent riparian areas were maintained as minimally disturbed, and chipped material was kept out of the creek, drainage features and sensitive riparian areas.”
Rather than hauling the material away, all wood generated by the treatment was chipped and broadcast on site in selected areas. Keeping the material within the open space reduced hauling and returned organic matter to the landscape as a natural ground layer.
The Sanctuary Trail treatment is one component of the broader approach to wildfire mitigation on city-owned open space. By strategically reducing hazardous fuels, maintaining healthy and diverse forests, and connecting treatments across the wildland-urban interface, the city is working to strengthen community wildfire resilience while protecting the natural resources that make Steamboat Springs unique.
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Contact
Email Ian Satterfield, Deputy Fire Chief, or call 970-879-7170
Email Anna Sisson, Forestry Technician, or call 573-864-9451
Email Michael Lane, Marketing and Communications Manager, or call 970-871-8202