VIDEO: A major restoration project is underway to regrow vegetation scorched by the Quarry Fire in August 2024. On Monday, Jefferson County Open Space crews began using helicopters to drop thousands of pounds of wildflower and grass seed over about 50 acres with the most significant wildfire damage. โThe reason thatโs what weโre planting is because those come up the quickest and we need those to stabilize the soil. Trees and shrubs take a long time to establish,โ JCOS grassland ecologist Tanner Marshall said.
Burn scars where there is significant vegetation loss have a high risk of developing into mudslides. The seeding project is designed to prevent erosion. โReally, weโre trying to keep as much of this burn material onsite as possible because Chatfield Reservoir is downstream,โ JCOS grassland ecologist Tanner Marshall said. According to Marshall, if ash from the wildfire were to flow into Chatfield, it could impact the water supply for thousands of people.
โThe next thing weโve done out here is apply agricultural straw mulch,โ Marshall said. โThat really is helping prevent the rain from impacting the soil and causing mudslides.โ The helicopter will also drop about 80,000 pounds of hydro-mulch pellets on top of the seed and straw layers. โIt kind of acts as a glue to hold the soil thatโs been damaged, the seed and that straw mulch together,โ Marshall said.
Helicopter operations are expected to continue through Wednesday. Once the project is complete, it will represent a significant step toward reopening Deer Creek Canyon Park, which has been closed since the fire. โWeโre working hard to reopen this park as soon as we can,โ Marshall said. โWe are very hopeful that it will be this year.โ
JCOS still needs to do extensive restoration before reopening certain sections of the trail system where trees are at risk of falling with little to no warning. However, some areas are already bouncing back naturally. โItโs striking to see a lot of dead trees. That is definitely an image that sticks with us. But below those trees, there are already a lot of new beautiful growth coming up,โ Marshall said. Deer Creek Canyon Park could reopen to visitors as early as summer 2025.
