NRCS Supported Forest Management Project Contributes to Successful Wildfire Suppression Efforts in Jefferson County Neighborhood

Jefferson County, Colorado, January 2, 2026 - In Colorado, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has long standing partnerships with local Conservation Districts supporting forest management on privately owned lands. In July 2025, forest management was put to the test when lightning ignited a wildfire on a completed project near Conifer, Colorado. The rapid suppression of this wildfire, later named the White Hawk Fire, became another stellar example of effective forestry planning that paid off for the landowners and their communities. Thanks to this collaborative efforts and investments, including from the participating landowners, the professional forestry planning services of the Jefferson Conservation District (JCD), technical and financial assistance from NRCS, additional grant funders, and the suppression efforts of several local wildfire suppression outfits, the White Hawk Fire was extinguished after burning only 1.8 acres with no adverse effects to lives, property, or natural resources.

The White Hawk Fire occurred on a private-land forestry project completed over a decade earlier, in 2014. It's not a coincidence that these landowners chose to participate in proactive forest management with JCD and NRCS. Their neighborhood sits on a ridge overlooking southern Jefferson County and the landscape stretching to Pikes Peak and beyond. Fire scars from several of the most notable and devastating wildfires in Colorado's history are visible here, including the 138,114-acre Hayman Fire of 2002 and the 11,900-acre Buffalo Creek wildfire of 1996, among a handful of others. The landowners in this neighborhood understand the wildfire problem we face in the west as well as anyone, as the risk and effects are seen daily and evacuation orders are not uncommon.

Here, and in similar forested landscapes, JCD and NRCS leverage a science-based process of ecosystem restoration to reduce risk of damaging wildfire to homes and ecosystems. The forests of southern and central Jefferson County are resilient to wildfire when in a healthy condition, and forest management strategies used on this project aimed to restore natural resilience originating from low tree densities, large grassy meadows, and dominance of thick-barked species like ponderosa pine. The goal of the forestry project was not to stop fire in its tracks, but rather to reduce the intensity of fire when it occurs to avoid adverse effects and create the ability to suppress the fire if lives or property are at risk. These goals were proven successful as flame lengths and intensity during the White Hawk Fire were manageable by fire suppression tactics, and the forest continues to provide valued ecosystem services such as watershed function and clean water and diverse wildlife habitat, even in the presence of wildfire.

This forestry project was funded by NRCS' Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), in combination with other funding sources such as Denver Water's Forests to Faucets Program and landowner contributions. The NRCS in Colorado has invested approximately $50 million in forest management across the state over the last 12 years through EQIP. These funds, along with other NRCS conservation programs such as the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), help make proactive forest management a reality for forest landowners.

This chart shows annual investments from NRCS Colorado in private lands forest management through our flagship conservation program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.