Colorado Forests
On Feb. 12, Gov. Bill Ritter created the Colorado Forest Health Advisory Council, a multi-agency action group that will coordinate and lead efforts to address the mountain pine beetle epidemic and other threats to Colorado’s 22 million acres of forestland.
“Colorado’s forests are vital to our environment, to our communities, to our economy and to our overall quality of life,” Gov. Ritter said. “But our forests are at risk, and one of the biggest risks is the mountain pine beetle. This epidemic has decimated more than 1.5 million acres of mature lodge-pole pines over the past decade and could wipe them out in another three to five years.
“Many people have been working on this issue for years,” Gov. Ritter added. “The time has come for a unified, coordinated and aggressive action plan that enlists all stakeholders as collaborative partners in this fight. The time has come for state government to lead that effort. The Colorado Forest Health Advisory Council will bring together local, state, federal and private interests to identify and implement short-term actions and long-term forest health strategies.”
Harris Sherman, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, and Jeff Jahnke, state forester and director of the Colorado State Forest Service, will co-chair the Council. The 24-member group also will be composed of city, county, state, federal and private stakeholders and representatives from the woody biomass industry, water suppliers, conservation groups and sportsmen.
Click here to go to Front Range Fuels Treatment Partnership
