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Author: Marcy Mitchell

Protect Your Home from Wildfire

It’s that time of year again. We have been fortunate with the amount of snow/rain received this season with more precipitation forecasted for next week. Wolf Creek has received 382″ YTD and will likely eclipse 400″.

That being the case, we still need to prepare our property and homes for this summer. Archuleta county remains in moderate drought conditions. https://www.drought.gov/states/colorado/county/Archuleta

What are the primary threats to homes during a wildfire?

Research around home destruction vs. home survival in wildfires point to embers and small flames as the main way that the majority of homes ignite in wildfires. Embers are burning pieces of airborne wood and/or vegetation that can be carried more than a mile through the wind can cause spot fires and ignite homes, debris and other objects.

There are methods for homeowners to prepare their homes to withstand ember attacks and minimize the likelihood of flames or surface fire touching the home or any attachments. Experiments, models and post-fire studies have shown homes ignite due to the condition of the home and everything around it, up to 200’ from the foundation. This is called the Home Ignition Zone (HIZ).

Use this link to learn more about how to protect your home from wildfires – https://www.nfpa.org//-/media/Files/Firewise/Fact-sheets/FirewiseHowToPrepareYourHomeForWildfires.pdf

Timber Ridge has partnered with Put Hill Customs to provide fire mitigation and reclamation assistance. They will come to your home for a complimentary assessment and quote. They have agreed to provide Timber Ridge property owners a 10% discount off of their services. You can reach them via their website or by calling 970.946.8885.  https://www.puthillcustoms.com/

If you haven’t already, we also recommend having your property assessed by a member of the Wildfire Adapted Partnership. This is a free service that will restart mid-April.

https://www.wildfireadapted.org/home-wildfire-risk-site-visit

As a reminder, if tree removal is required you must submit a Property Improvement Application via the neighborhood website to the IRC. https://ctrmd.org/building-in-timber-ridge/

With your assistance, we continue to be a certified Firewise USA® neighborhood.

Best,

Timber Ridge Board

Important Announcement on Short Term Rentals

Effective March 18th the amendment to eliminate Short Term Rentals was passed by more than 67% of the HOA membership and is now filed with the county. This excludes the (3) prior approved properties which have until March 18th 2025 to maintain their STR status.

HOA Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions

Our Homeowner’s Association documents include our Policies and Procedures, Bylaws, and Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions.

View Our Current HOA Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions (2021)

In addition to the below governing documents, Colorado’s Timber Ridge Homeowner’s Association is subject to the Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act (CCIOA) enacted on July 1, 1992 which provides guidance for governing common interest communities.  Following the initial Act, Amendments to CCIOA were passed by the Colorado Legislature.

If you would like to view the Timber Ridge HOA Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and previous amendments to the Declaration of Covenants, please request a copy from ctrhoasecretary@gmail.com.

Fire Mitigation and Forest Health

Fire Mitigation and Forest Health Committee
Thomas Jones, Chairman

Colorado’s Timber Ridge is located in a wildland/urban interface area or “WUI”. Because of this, properties in Colorado’s Timber Ridge community are at high risk of wildfire damage.

There are methods for homeowners to prepare their homes to withstand ember attacks and minimize the likelihood of flames or surface fire touching the home or any attachments. Experiments, models and post-fire studies have shown homes ignite due to the condition of the home and everything around it, up to 200’ from the foundation. This is called the Home Ignition Zone (HIZ).

Use this link to learn more about how to protect your home from wildfires – https://www.nfpa.org//-/media/Files/Firewise/Fact-sheets/FirewiseHowToPrepareYourHomeForWildfires.pdf

Timber Ridge has partnered with Put Hill Customs to provide fire mitigation and reclamation assistance. They will come to your home for a complimentary assessment and quote. They have agreed to provide Timber Ridge property owners a 10% discount off of their services. You can reach them via their website or by calling 970.946.8885.  https://www.puthillcustoms.com/

If you haven’t already, we also recommend having your property assessed by a member of the Wildfire Adapted Partnership. This is a free service that will restart mid-April.

https://www.wildfireadapted.org/home-wildfire-risk-site-visit

The National Fire Protection Association acknowledges that Colorado’s Timber Ridge has successfully completed the Firewise USA® programs annual requirements for 2020 and is a participating site in good standing throughout the 2021 calendar year. View certificate

Fire Adapted Communities is a collaborative approach to reducing wildfire risks throughout an entire community and helps connect all those who play a role in wildfire preparedness like community officials, planners or developers, residents and business owners, emergency responders, insurance representatives and land managers and public utilities, with the organizations and programs that provide resources for their (these) specific wildfire preparedness needs. NFPA’s Firewise USA® Program is a key component of the fire adapted approach and provides the framework to help residents reduce the risk of losing their homes and property to wildfire.

When adequately prepared, a house can withstand a wildland fire without the intervention of the fire service. In fact, a house and its surrounding community can be both Firewise and compatible with the area’s ecosystem. The Firewise Communities/USA program enables communities in all parts of the United States to achieve a high level of protection against WUI fire as well as sustainable ecosystem balance. Firewise Communities/USA program provides residents of the WUI with the knowledge and skill necessary to make it happen.

Colorado Timber Ridge HOA has developed a wildfire mitigation plan to help homeowners protect their property:

There are other helpful documents below: