Living with wildfire in Lake County, Colorado: 2023 data report
| Authors: | Colleen Donovan, Hannah Brenkert-Smith, Suzanne Wittenbrink, Patricia A. Champ, J.T. Shaver, Dave McCann, Christine Taniguchi, James R. Meldrum, Christopher M. Barth, Carolyn Wagner, Josh Kuehn |
| Year: | 2026 |
| Type: | Research Note |
| Station: | Rocky Mountain Research Station |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.2737/RMRS-RN-113 |
| Source: | RMRS-RN-113 |
Abstract
Homeowner wildfire risk mitigation and preparedness are important components of community wildfire readiness. This report describes the data collected through two efforts conducted in the Lake County, Colorado, study area: (1) parcel-level rapid wildfire risk assessments performed by trained assessors and (2) homeowner surveys in which respondents provided self-assessments of their parcel-level wildfire risk. This project was undertaken to support Colorado State Forest Service Salida Field Office and Leadville/Lake County Fire-Rescue. The household surveys explored the social dimensions of wildfire, including understanding of wildfire risk, outreach or communication preferences, mitigation and evacuation preparedness activities, and perceptions of community risk reduction strategies. Overall, the study results detail a community that was engaged in preparing for and mitigating the risk of wildfire while revealing more that could be done to reduce risk.