AFPD's wildfire resilience team is leading cross-boundary, landscape scale projects. We are working with local partners each year to improve the health and resilience of local ecosystems.

Landscape Spotlight: Sunnyside Prescribed Fire 2025

With the help of partners and collaborators from across the state, Aspen Wildfire Foundation 501(c3) helped support the 800-acre prescribed fire on April 14, 2025 to reduce fire danger and improve wildlife habitat. Read more here. 

Landscape Spotlight: Bark Beetle Treatments

Fires in beetle-killed areas are typically more severe, difficult to revegetate, and can experience high erosion. That's why, starting in 2022, AFPD and other local partners have been working together to improve the health of our local forests. Learn more here.

Landscape Spotlight: Cross-Boundary Fuel Break

Aspen Fire, the BLM, Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, and private partners demonstrated the many benefits of cross-boundary multi-stakeholder collaboration. A 33-acre fuels reduction and habitat restoration project was implemented at a critical wildfire pinch point on Red Mountain in 2023. Read more here. 

Landscape Spotlight: Prescribed Fires 2022 & 2023

With the help of many local partners, AFPD helped with the 750-acre Collins Creek Prescribed Burn on April 30, 2023, as well as the 900-acre Hunter Creek Prescribed Burn on May 13, 2022. This project helped reduce wildfire risk and improve habitat for many different species of wildlife. Learn more about the benefits of prescribed fire here.

Homeowner Spotlight: Chipper Day Program

AFPD's Chipper Day program helps homeowners reduce hazardous fuels and create defensible space around homes. Participants follow guidelines for registration, brush size, and pile location. Chipped brush piles are composted by the Pitkin County Landfill.

• 2022:
  • Participating HOA's: 3
  • Total fuels removed: 238 cubic yards of wood chips
• 2023: Funding Partnership with Pitkin County and City of Aspen,
  • Participating HOA's: 9
  • Total fuels removed: 35.84 tons
• 2024:
  • Pickups Completed across 11 zones: 97
  • Total Fuels Removed: 159 cubic yards
• 2025:
  • Chipping is now offered district wide!

If you live in Aspen Fire Protection District and would like to participate in 2024, click here or contact shannon.fink@aspenfire.com.

Did you know?  Aspen Fire's Prevention team provides resources to help homeowners live wildfire ready.

• No-Cost Wildfire Risk Assessments (May-Oct)
• Wildfire Risk Mapping
  • Learn about your area's risk versus your structure's risk. 
• Wildfire Mitigation: 
  • How to: Protecting your home and property from wildfire
  • Aspen Fire Chipper Day brush removal program
• Mitigation Incentives
  • Roaring Fork Valley Wildfire Collaborative:
    • Apply for a mitigation assistance grant
  • Colorado Income Tax incentives
    • General information on wildfire tax benefits in Colorado
    • Mitigation Income Tax subtraction in Colorado
• Emergency preparedness
• Evacuation Readiness
• Sign up for emergency notifications
  • ReachWell
  • PitkinAlert
• Educational events
  • Join us each May for a celebration of Wildfire Preparedness Month
• Lead your community:
  • Become a Roaring Fork Valley Neighborhood Ambassador
    • Email Ali.Hammond@aspenfire.com
  • Schedule a wildfire discussion at your next HOA meeting
  • Become a Firewise Community
• Project Coordination
  • Have a fuels reduction project but don't know where to start? Email ali.hammond@aspenfire.com!
• You can contribute to the fund that makes this work possible.*

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: Wildfire Preparedness Month

Whether we're hosting Wildfire Trivia Night, hosting Evacuation Prep Open House, or singing songs about mitigation at Aspen Elementary School, we keep wildfire preparedness fun! 

The Aspen Wildfire Foundation is the charitable arm that funds AFPD's Community Wildfire Resilience program. Your donations allow AFPD's wildfire team to facilitate, plan, and execute fuels reduction projects. Donations are tax deductible and help us leverage grants by demonstrating local matching support!

By working together, we can reduce wildfire risk, protect our watershed, and improve local habitat for wildlife. 

Make your gift today.