Since 2006 the White River National Forest and local land managers, such as Summit County Open Space & Trails and Town of Breckenridge Open Space have been working with The Nature Conservancy to pilot fire protection programs on open space parcels through the planting of aspen trees as natural fuel breaks. Started on the 46-acre Barney Ford site, just outside of downtown Breckenridge, the project is testing aspen’s ability to reduce fire severity through increased moisture content, increased species diversity, and decreased flammability.