Illustrating Wildfire Resilience in the St. Vrain Watershed

The St. Vrain Forest Health Partnership works with community members to implement cross-jurisdictional, landscape-scale forest restoration projects. The aim is to achieve a healthy and resilient watershed that can sustain wildfire while protecting communities, keeping water supplies clean and reliable, and supporting diverse native flora and fauna for current and future generations.

LVB met with forest health scientists and forest managers in the St. Vrain watershed to illustrate the science behind severe wildfire impacts and watershed vulnerability in the Colorado Front Range. The final products include a series of illustrations to demonstrate the connection between a history of fire suppression, high-severity wildfires, and changing climate patterns on the watershed’s ecosystems, communities, and water supply. Forest health resiliency themes include collaboration, water resources, wildfire risk, recreation, aesthetics, and wildlife. The partners use the outreach tools to communicate with watershed residents, technical experts, and Colorado decision-makers. 

In addition to being used throughout the St. Vrain Forest Health Partnership’s StoryMap, illustrations are featured in the NoCo Fireshed Collaborative’s member newsletter, social media, and website.