Project Overview
The National Forest Foundation, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State Forest Service, and Colorado State Land Board, will soon begin implementation of the Grassy Mountain Shared Stewardship project. This three-year project will create a fire break on 638 acres of public lands above Forest Lakes Metro District on Grassy Mountain, north of Bayfield, CO. The fire break is situated above roughly 1,200 homes in the largest subdivision in Southwest CO. It is designed to reduce wildfire hazard and risk within the surrounding communities, while decreasing potential harm to the watershed and protecting recreational opportunities.
Beginning in April 2025, residents of Forest Lakes can expect to see heavy equipment and logging trucks working above the subdivision and traveling pre-identified corridors (see project map below). The work to be implemented on this project consists of mechanical vegetation thinning, skidding, decking, chipping, grinding, hauling, and road maintenance across multiple jurisdictions.
The Grassy Mountain Shared Stewardship Project is the first of its kind in Southwest Colorado. Vegetation treatments will be coordinated by National Forest Foundation and the Colorado State Forest Service and implemented “cross-boundary” on San Juan National Forest (102 acres), Tres Rios Bureau of Land Management (438.5 acres), and Colorado State Land Board trust lands (98 acres). The continuity of treatments is imperative for this fuel break’s efficacy. Thick Ponderosa pine forest makes up most of the project area’s vegetation. This fire adapted tree species is overgrown with tight crown spacing, low hanging branches and pockets of dead and diseased trees. The forest floor poses an additional fire hazard with young trees, thick oak brush, and a deep needle layer with grasses and downed logs.
Project Details
Starting in April 2025, large felling machinery will begin operations on the State Land Board trust lands. Thinning will target small diameter trees focusing on reducing the risk of wildfire. Public is asked to please avoid the project area during operations for their own safety. During operations, logging trucks will be removing merchantable wood and biomass within the timing restrictions listed below.
The US Forest Service will make the timber removed from the San Juan National Forest parcel of the project available to Forest Lakes residents for fuelwood. This wood will be decked as logs on Big Timber Drive in Forest Lakes Unit 3. Project partners will keep the community informed on the timing of the treatment and the availability of firewood on the Forest Service. Fuelwood collection will not be allowed during operations and are not currently planned for the BLM and State parcels.
Project Map
Work Schedule
Timeline: April 2025 to December 2027
Daily Operational Period: Daylight hours; Log hauling is prohibited between 6:30-8:00 a.m. and 3:30-5:00 p.m. on weekdays to avoid conflict with higher residential traffic.
Timing restrictions:
- March 1 – May 1: No operations on USFS lands due to Migratory Bird Restriction
- May 15 – July 15: No operations on BLM lands due to Migratory Bird Restriction
- July 4 – 5: No log hauling to prevent conflicts with recreationalists
- No work can occur on State Land Board parcels during the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th Big Game Rifle Seasons, and for one week prior to these seasons.
Routes and Roads
Using the Loop Road, primarily the east route. Additionally, loggers will use the secondary routes indicated on the map to access the project area and landings. A list of roads planned for use include:
- Berry Drive
- Blue Ridge Drive
- Buckhorn Drive
- Deer Ridge Drive
- Forest Lakes Drive
- Hillside Drive
- Hilltop Drive
- Mesa Drive
- Pine Ridge Drive
- Pine Tree Drive
- Pine Valley Road
- Wild Turkey Lane
Project managers will work closely with Forest Lakes Metro District to provide road maintenance funds to offset metro district costs and maintain roads impacted by logging traffic.
Contact Information
Nicholas Olson, Southwest Colorado Project Coordinator, at nolson@nationalforests.org
Emily Barbo, State Land Board Outreach and Communications Manager, at emily.barbo@state.co.us
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About the Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners:
The Colorado State Land Board is a constitutionally created agency that manages a $4.4 billion endowment of assets for the intergenerational benefit of Colorado’s K-12 schoolchildren and public institutions. The agency is the second-largest landowner in Colorado and generates revenue for beneficiaries by leasing three million surface acres and four million subsurface acres for agriculture, grazing, recreation, commercial real estate, rights-of-way, renewable energy, oil, gas, and solid minerals. The agency is entirely self-funded and receives no tax dollars.