Land experts say the acres charred by the High Park fire need $24 million in treatments to protect homes, trails, roads and water supplies from potential flooding, rockslides and runoff of ash and debris.

The recommended work includes mulch dropped from helicopters on barren hillsides, larger culverts to handle more water and debris, settlement ponds and additional measures on a small portion of the 87,284 burned acres. The efforts are focused on areas where people live, drive and recreate as well as places that could affect drinking and irrigation water.

“We can reduce the effects of post-fire flooding, but we can’t eliminate them and make the watershed look as it did pre-fire,” said Carl Chambers, hydrologist with the U.S. Forest Service and a member of the Burn Area Emergency Response team. “Only time can do this.”

It will take time and money to complete the mitigation efforts that are recommended by the recovery team — a collaboration of water, land, recreation, wildlife and road experts that hit the ground as soon as they could after the fire.

From The Denver Post: https://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_21148844/recovery-high-park-fire-area-begins