Cameron Peak Fire

About the Cameron Peak Fire

On August 13, 2020, the Cameron Peak Fire (CPF) ignited in the Upper Poudre River Watershed near Cameron Pass between Cameron Peak and Chambers Lake within the Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forest. Over the course of 112 days the fire burned 208,913 acres, becoming the largest wildfire in Colorado’s recorded history.  The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

CAMERON PEAK FIRE IMPACTS:

• 325 mile long fire perimeter

• Over 1,050 stream miles (596 mi are in the Poudre watershed)

• 124 trail miles (95 mi in the Poudre watershed)

• Over 41,700 acres of designated Wilderness Areas burned

• 32 miles of Wild and Scenic river corridor burned

• Three watersheds affected - Poudre, Big Thompson & Laramie

• At least five reservoirs that store and deliver water to the Front Range for agriculture and drinking water needs

• At least 16 mountain communities and neighborhoods in the burn area or immediately adjacent to it have been affected

• 492 structures destroyed (residential and outbuildings)

Cameron Peak Fire on InciWeb: www.inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6964/

CPRW’s Role in Post-Fire Recovery, Mitigation and Restoration

Since the Cameron Peak Fire ignited, the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW) has been deeply involved in post-fire recovery, mitigation and restoration efforts, working to ensure that we have the resources needed to help the watershed recover from this fire and become more resilient in the face of future natural disasters.

• The Cameron Peak Fire: CPRW’s Role in the Recovery

• Aerial Mulching Operations to Begin in Cameron Peak Burn Area

• Cameron Peak One Year Later: Finding Inspiration in a Post-Fire Landscape

• Managing for Post-Fire Impacts

• Aerial Mulching Operations Completed in Poudre Watershed (Aug. 2022)

• Work continues to address post-fire water quality impacts in Poudre Watershed (Sept. 2022)

Cameron Peak Fire Webinars & Video Resources

Additional resources from this webinar:

Chat Transcript

Presentation slides

Cameron Peak Fire Photos

Resources & Research

Post-Fire Response

• Cameron Peak Fire Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Executive Summary

• BAER Fisheries Report - Prepared by: Matthew Fairchild, Forest Fish Biologist, Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland

• “Post-Fire Playbook: Guidance for Counties, Tribes, Municipalities and Water Providers”

• “After the Flames” - Actionable best practices for communities and agencies impacted by wildfire from Coalitions and Collaboratives, Inc.

• Big Thompson Watershed Coalition - For private landowners living within the Big Thompson Watershed please contact Courtney Gutman at courtney.gutman@bigthompson.co for info about available resources.

• “Cameron Peak Fire at Shambhala Mountain Center: Fire Effects in Forest Restoration Treatment by Fort Collins Conservation District” - Fort Collins Conservation District

• Assessing Post-Fire Values-at-Risk With a New Calculation Tool - U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station

• Community Recovery Newsletter for the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome Fires - Larimer County Office of Emergency Management (Published March 9, 2021)

• Larimer County Office of Emergency Management - Cameron Peak Fire resources

• Larimer Recovery Collaborative - The LRC’s mission is to coordinate short-term and long-term recovery efforts and maximize all available resources by not duplicating efforts. This organization represents Larimer County as a region, not just Larimer County the government.

• Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests - Fire Recovery Information (includes all five major fires of 2020 w/in the National Forest System lands on the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests)

Post-Fire Restoration

CPRW and our partners are currently working on post-fire planning that will help to guide our post-fire restoration efforts for years to come.

• Wildfire Restoration Handbook

• Post-Fire Land Rehabilitation FAQ: Cameron Peak Fire - Natural Resources Conservation Services

• Burned Area Emergency Response Treatment Catalog - U.S. Forest Service

• Crew Leader Training for Post-Fire Restoration - Wildlands Restoration Volunteers

• “Soil Erosion Control After Wildfire” - Colorado State University Extension & Colorado State Forest Service

• Presentation: “Post-fire Recovery and Restoration: Soils, Runoff and Erosion” - Lee H. MacDonald, Colorado State University

• Post-Fire Treatment Effectiveness for Hillslope Stabilization - U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station

• Hillslope Treatment Effectiveness and Performance Characteristics Summary Chart - U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station

•  Field Guide for Mapping Post-Fire Soil Burn Severity - U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station

• “Living Streambanks: A Manual of Bioengineering Treatments for Colorado Streams” - AloTerra Restoration Services, LLC, and

  Golder Associates, Inc.

• “Field Guide for Harvesting and Installing Willow and Cottonwood Cuttings” - John Giordanengo, Synergy Ecological Restoration & Randy Mandel, Golder Associates

• Plant Propagation Manual (access database - click to download to your computer) - Rocky Mountain Flycasters

• Seed Mixes, BMPs and Guidelines for Seeding and Mulching in the Cameron Peak Burn Area - Larimer County

Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) “After the Fire” Fact Sheets

• “After the Fire: Seeding” - Natural Resources Conservation Services

• “After the Fire: Contour Sandbags” - Natural Resources Conservation Services

• “After the Fire: Contour Wattles” - Natural Resources Conservation Services

• “After the Fire: Dike” - Natural Resources Conservation Services

• “After the Fire: Diversion” - Natural Resources Conservation Services

• “After the Fire: Hand Raking” - Natural Resources Conservation Services

• “After the Fire: Hazard Tree Removal” - Natural Resources Conservation Services

• “After the Fire: Hillside Home Drainage” - Natural Resources Conservation Services

• “After the Fire: Hydromulching” - Natural Resources Conservation Services

• “After the Fire: Log Erosion Barriers” - Natural Resources Conservation Services

• “After the Fire: Mechanical Scarification” - Natural Resources Conservation Services

Water Quality

• “Cameron Peak Fire: Effects on Air and Water Quality” - City of Fort Collins

• Article: CSU team lands NSF award to study streams, snowpack in Cameron Peak Fire area

• Forests, Fire, and Faucets: What We Are Learning About Lingering Water Quality Effects of High-Severity Wildfires - Science You Can Use Bulletins, USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station, Nov/Dec 2021

Other Wildfire Resources

• Wildfire Resources - Larimer County - CSU Extension

• Fire Behavior Infographic - Colorado Forest Restoration Institute at Colorado State University

• “Wildfire effects on road surface erosion, deposition, and road–stream connectivity” - Gabriel Sosa-Pérez and Lee MacDonald

• “Connectivity of post-fire runoff and sediment from nested hillslopes and watersheds” - Codie Wilson

• “Tree regeneration following wildfires in the western US: a review” - Camille S. Stevens-Rumann and Penelope Morgan

• Learn from the burn: The High Park Fire 5 years later (website) - U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station

• Learn from the burn: The High Park Fire 5 Years Later (PDF) - U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station

• Resilience Test: Can Ponderosa Pine Bounce Back After High-Severity Fire? - Science You Can Use Bulletins, USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station, Sept/Oct 2021