Spring is nearly here – time to start cleaning, both inside and out. Ruth Ann Steele, spearhead of the Black Forest Slash-Mulch program for 16 years, is gearing up for another season of promoting forest cleanup as an important part of fire mitigation and environmental protection.”People in the forest are desperately in need of the slash program – a recycling program that collects tree debris and grinds it into mulch,” Steele said. “If you don’t keep it cleaned up, ponderosa will develop fire ladders – the branches at the bottom don’t get enough sun, so they dry up and eventually drop off.”The fire ladders create a tinderbox on the forest floor, which compounds the fire danger in the current ultra-dry conditions. “Even rain, wind or a blanket of snow won’t stop a catastrophic fire,” Steele said.The program is beneficial for Falcon residents, she said. “The need out in Falcon is the mulch, good organic mulch. Using mulch will build up the soil and then you can grow all kinds of trees out there,” she said.Without additional nutrients, Steele said the soil in Falcon, which is delta sand, will not support trees to any great height. She suggests placing mulch around trees and under drip lines, leaving a 6-inch radius around the tree, free from the mulch, to promote better air flow to the trunk and roots.The mulch is organic and free of noxious weeds, she said. Volunteers at the slash site watch for treated lumber, metals and other harmful substances before grinding the debris into mulch.Steele said she built the slash-mulch program from the ground up. In the early 1990s, as a member of the Colorado Forestry Association, the board of directors asked her to find funding for the program. Steele contacted El Paso County. To this day, the county underwrites the program.”I didn’t have a very good program to follow; it’s taken quite a few years to get it organized,” Steele said. She said the location caused problems during the first year. On the first day alone, six pickup trucks got stuck up to their axles in deep mud caused by flooding. Steele said most people were good-natured about it, but she had a different outlook. “It was a horrible first day for me,” she said.The current location, one mile east of Black Forest Road on the corner of Shoup Road and Herring Road, has worked out better. “It’s a wonderful site for us,” Steele said. “It’s getting a little small, but it’s a great site.”Both the grinding service and mulch pickup are free of charge to El Paso and Teller county residents. Steele said the site accepts money donations to help defray the cost of the grinding. They also accept food for Care and Share. Steele said last year the program collected almost 10,000 pounds of food.The slash-mulch program also relies heavily on volunteers to run the site. Last year, 420 volunteers put in 1,388 hours. “The program runs well because of the volunteers,” Steele said. “They come from all over – Falcon, Peyton, Palmer Lake and massive amounts from Black Forest.”The slash-mulch program opens May 2 and runs through Sept. 26. Hours of operation vary.Steele said she is currently preparing for the annual community meeting April 25 at 9 a.m. The format for the program is changing this year. In addition to information tables, Steele said a speaker panel comprised of county officials and forestry experts also will be included.One thing that is not changing is Steele’s drive to make the meeting entertaining. “It draws people,” Steele said. “And I’m not above tricks.”More on Ruth Ann SteeleHow did you become a proponent of environmental conservation?I’ve always been interested in the environment. I think that comes from my parents. I grew up on a farm. We value soil. We value wildlife. My dad always said if you have some money to buy something, buy land. Don’t buy a new washing machine or car, buy land. It is lovely, it gives you space.Where do you see yourself in five years?Still busy, you don’t outgrow it. It keeps life interesting and keeps you from being a “Pitiful Pauline,” and so you don’t drown in your own sorrow.What did you do prior to running the slash-mulch program?I taught school for 25 years in the Cherry Creek district. I went back up in November and received an honor for founding an environmental club, Clean Land Air and Water. I started it in the early 1970s. We had a trail we kept clean and I connected it to the music program, making up songs about the environment to help teach the children.
