Interface Areas of High Wildfire Risk in Colorado

The original Red Zone analysis was completed for areas of the Front Range of Colorado in late 1996 with a statewide analysis completed in 1999. This study was motivated by increasingly severe and unprecedented fire activity and behavior experienced during several wildfires along the Front Range. The purpose of the Red Zone analysis is to determine where the combination of hazards, risks, and values defines areas that have increased likelihood of wildfire and risk to life and property.

The Colorado Red Zone analysis helps land and emergency response managers and the public by providing an opportunity to better determine where the highest priorities for preplanning and vegetation treatment exist. It identifies not only areas where high potential for large, severe wildfires exist but also where such events are unacceptable. The unique combination of structural density and disturbance regimes in this analysis highlights some consequences of disturbance to the values in the Red Zone. Partnerships between federal, state, and local governments will be necessary to bring Colorado's forests into a healthier and safer condition.

This Red Zone analysis and the resulting map products have been used extensively by the news media, as an educational tool for landowners, and as a tool to facilitate discussion about Colorado's wildfire problem. This map demonstrates the increasing development in wildfire-prone areas and the number of people placed at risk to wildland fire.