Fireforest

04/22/2025

Two Fireforest screenings are coming up this Saturday!

Nederland, CO—Hosted by Xcel Energy Colorado
Pueblo, CO—Pueblo Film Fest

Details at the link below.

The film tells the story of how forest thinning and prescribed burning enabled firefighters to stop a portion of the Cameron Peak Fire in northern Colorado. It explains the natural role of fire, why forests have grown out of balance, and what we can do to prepare for wildlfire.

03/02/2025

Screening in Larimer County on March 13!

Join us for a screening of Fireforest + panel discussion with local experts - March 13, 6:30-8:30pm at the newly renovated Poudre Park Community Center. Register at https://poudrewatershed.networkforgood.com/events/82335-fireforest-film-screening-and-panel-discussion

In August of 2020, the Cameron Peak Fire was racing uncontrollably towards communities in northern Colorado. As it reached the footprint of a past U.S. Forest Service prescribed burn and the Drala Mountain Center (formerly Shambhala Mountain Center), the many years of collaboratively planned and implemented forest resilience treatments paid off in a big way. The prescribed burn, combined with forest restoration treatments at Drala, gave firefighters a foothold to halt a portion of the fire and avert disaster for the communities downslope.

This 16-minute film tells the story of what happened there through the accounts of a U.S. Forest Service fire specialist, a Larimer Conservation District forester, and the Drala land manager. Together, they urge us to see fire and forest management as natural and essential parts of the landscape. By shifting the way we perceive fire and actively preparing forests to receive it, we can create hope for living with wildfires.

After the screening, enjoy a panel discussion with local experts, Q&A opportunities, and a short presentation about the Red Feather Lakes Area Wildfire Defense Project.

Learn more about the Fireforest long-term multimedia project at: www.fireforestphoto.com

02/27/2025

Thank you to Rocky Mountain Conservancy for hosting a wonderful screening of Fireforest! With a panel of a National Park Service forest ecologist, fuels specialist, and public information officer, this was a great opportunity to talk to community members about forest and fire management in Rocky Mountain National Park. I hope those messages are still in the audience members' minds. Here's a great writeup by Gabby Sherwood.
https://rmconservancy.org/rocky-mountain-national-park-staff-and-filmmaker-discuss-fireforest-and-various-impacts-of-wildfires/

Photos 2 & 3 by Gabby Sherwood.

02/13/2025

On Sunday, February 2, 2025, we had the honor of viewing Evan Barrientos’ short documentary, Fireforest, and hearing a panel of experts answer insightful questions about fire and forest restoration. In addition to the filmmaker, the speakers on the panel from Rocky Mountain National Park were Kevin Gaalaas, Forest Ecologist; Nathan Hallam, Fuels Specialist; and Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer. If you were unable to make it to this past Winter Speaker Series event, click through these photos for 3 key takeaways and information on how to watch Fireforest for free online.

We’d like to thank Evan Barrientos Photography and our panelists for sharing their time and expertise with us! This program is made possible by the support from Rocky Mountain Conservancy. Register for upcoming Winter Speaker Series events here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/winter-speaker-series-tickets-1081248135279?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

02/01/2025

Happening tomorrow!

This Sunday! A film screening of Fireforest will take place in Beaver Meadows Visitor Center at 2 PM. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with filmmaker Evan Barrientos and park staff. Register for this free event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/winter-speaker-series-tickets-1081244945739?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

We hope to see you there!

01/30/2025

Screening alert for Rocky Mountain National Park this Sunday!

Join us on Sunday, February 2nd, at 2 PM at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center for a film screening of Fireforest. The documentary tells the story of the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire and explores the relationship between fire and forest restoration. The film aims to help Coloradans understand fire is an essential part of the solution to megafires and that forests have a natural ability to recover from it. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with filmmaker Evan Barrientos and park staff on wildfire mitigation and recovery efforts within Rocky Mountain National Park.
Register for this free event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/winter-speaker-series-tickets-1081244945739?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

We hope to see you there!

12/02/2024

10/19/2024

Screening Alert! Fireforest will be screened at the DU Mountain Campus in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, on October 24 at 7:00pm. I’m excited to finally bring the film to the community closest to where the story unfolded. If you live nearby, please come!

After the screening, there will be a panel discussion with local experts, Q&A, and a short presentation about the Red Feather Lakes Area Wildfire Defense Project. Register at https://buff.ly/3UfqRdu

Co-hosted by Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed - CPRW Larimer Conservation District Larimer County Government and Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative

Join us for a screening of Fireforest + panel discussion with local experts. Co-hosted by the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed, Evan Barrientos - Fireforest, Larimer Conservation District, Larimer County Office of Emergency Management and the Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative.

09/04/2024

08/13/2024

A new film is coming to northern Colorado! As wildfires burn today, what lessons can we learn from the Cameron Peak Fire four years ago? This film, “Fireforest,” tells the story of how forest restoration treatments enabled firefighters to stop a portion of the Cameron Peak Fire.

The film will help you understand what firefighters are looking for as they fight the current fires. You will better understand the years of work that forest managers have done to help firefighters today. And maybe, you will even find hope in learning about what they accomplished four years ago. By shifting the way we perceive fire and actively preparing forests to receive it, we can create hope for living with wildfires.

Find a screening at fireforestphoto.com/film.

Featuring Larimer Conservation District, U.S. Forest Service-Arapaho & Roosevelt Natl Forests Pawnee Natl Grassland, and Drala Mountain Center.

08/07/2023

First photo: the Poudre River before the July 31 rainstorm. Second photo: after the rainstorm, filled with sediment from runoff.

Photos by with support from the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation, Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed - CPRW City of Fort Collins Utilities Peaks to People Water Fund The Smokey Generation and Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative