Cutting trees and burning undergrowth will help Boulder County prevent wild fires this summer, fire officials said. Rep. Mark Udall talks about fire recovery They said that those strategies kept a fire in the foothills west of Boulder from expanding and endangering homes and firefighters last year. An environmental group, though, fears the emphasis on thinning forests could result in mass logging. And an area resident thinks the approach is ineffective. "Fire mitigation last summer did not necessarily put the fire out," said Scott Reuman. "God and weather put the fire out." The county's fire plan was debated Monday during a tour of the Walker Ranch area by Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., federal and state forest officials and firefighters. A fire in the Walker Ranch area burned about 1,100 acres in the foothills last September. It cost $1.5 million to control. Udall said that Boulder County's fire-prevention methods could be used elsewhere. For nearly 10 years, crews have used chainsaws and controlled fires to get rid of thick underbrush and smaller timber. Congress last year approved a $1.6 billion national fire plan that includes funding for more firefighters, firefighter training and fire engines. Walker Ranch was just one of several fires that torched a total of 126,747 acres in Colorado last year. The Hi Meadow and Bobcat fires in Jefferson and Larimer counties, respectively, each burned more than 10,000 acres and several homes. Years of cutting trees and controlled burns kept the Walker Ranch fire from growing larger, said Marc Mullenix, wildland fire division chief for the city of Boulder. But Suzanne Jones of the Wilderness Society said that thinning trees in Colorado's backcountry could lead to logging companies taking out timber for profit. Previous Stories:

• May 14, 2001: Learn Wildfire Tips For Homeowners
• May 14, 2001: Small Wildfires Contained Near Bailey
• April 18, 2001: Urban Forests Help Environment, Report Says
• February 26, 2001: More Controlled Burns Planned In Colorado Forests