The Stewardship Mapping Project (STEW-MAP): Colorado Front Range
The Colorado Front Range spans across 3.6 million acres, contains 1.5 million acres of National Forest System (NFS) lands on the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and the Pike-San Isabel National Forests. The region has experienced significant urban and suburban development, particularly along the I-25 corridor that connects major cities like Colorado Springs, Denver, and Fort Collins. This population growth has led to an ever-expanding wildland-urban interface. Since 1970, the 12-county Colorado Front Range has almost tripled in population to nearly 3.9 million residents.
The Colorado Front Range landscape boundary includes portions of Arapaho, Roosevelt, and Pike-San Isabel National Forests.
Wildfires across the United States have resulted in rising ecological and social costs and impacts. More homes and communities are threatened by wildfires resulting from longer and hotter summers, an expanding wildland-urban interface, and a legacy of fire exclusion. The Fueling Adaptation research team combined methodologies from STEW-MAP and Co-Management of Fire Risk Transmission (CoMFRT) to study collaborative wildfire governance networks in landscapes of the western United States at high risk of wildfire.
Complex patterns of land ownership mean it is critical to understand how non-U.S. Forest Service actors are mitigating and managing risk. The Fueling Adaptation research team sought to identify who the actors involved in wildfire governance are, where they physically work on the landscape, with whom they collaborate, in what ways, and how they perceive their outcomes.
In the fall of 2024, the Fueling Adaptation research team conducted an online survey of organizations involved in wildfire risk management, land stewardship, or community development to learn where they work, who they work with, and how they collaborate. The information collected is summarized in a publicly available report and explorable through the interactive online platform Colorado Front Range FireCollabMap.
The survey identified 400+ organizations and 1500+ partnerships involved in wildfire management and adaptation across the Colorado Front Range. The governance network includes a diverse set of actors working across sectors. Organizations vary widely in financial resources, staffing, and the geographic areas they have the capacity to serve. 60% of partnerships involve at least one form of formal partnership while the remaining 40% are considered informal with no formal agreements or funding arrangements. Federal investment has been a key factor building collaboration towards improved landscape outcomes.
The Fueling Adaptation Research team
- Lindsay K. Campbell, PhD, Research Social Scientist, USDA Forest Service
- Miranda H. Mockrin, PhD, Research Scientist, USDA Forest Service
- Cody Evers, Portland State University
- Michelle Johnson, formerly U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station
- Max Nielsen-Pincus, Portland State University
- Mahmood Muttaqee, Portland State University
- Kathy Hixson, Portland State University
- Olivia Awbrey, University of Oregon
- Erika Svendsen, formerly U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station
Collaborators
Arapaho, Roosevelt, and Pike-San Isabel National Forests
Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative