The Douglas County Wildfire Mitigation Staff plans, prepares, and implements forest management and natural resources stewardship projects on county-owned open space lands.  In the last decade a significant amount of Colorado’s forests have been lost or damaged due to insects, disease, and high intensity wildfires.  Forest management and vegetation treatments are designed to increase forest health and reduce fuel loading to prevent infestation and/or loss of our county-owned forests from these disturbance agents.  A healthy forest offers habitat and forage to wildlife as well as recreation and wildlife viewing opportunities to its public users.  Prescribed fire is also used to re-introduce low-intensity wildfire and its ecological benefits to historically fire-adapted ecosystems.  Projects are based on goals and objectives backed by sound science and endorsed by practitioners and natural resources managers throughout the Front Range of Colorado.