2012 Report on the Health of Colorado’s Forests Forest Stewardship through Active Management Acknowledgments The Colorado State Forest Service receives Forest Health Protection Thanks to those who reviewed and/or provided information for funds that support the acquisition of data necessary for this report this report: and Cooperative Forestry Program funds that help private forest Justin Backsen, Forestry Technician, Forest Health Protection, landowners implement treatments. USDA Forest Service, Lakewood, Colo. Kelly Sullivan Burns, Forest Pathologist, USDA Forest Service, Thanks to the following Colorado State Forest Service employees Lakewood, Colo. who served on the Report Working Group and/or provided Bob Cain, Entomologist, Forest Health Protection, USDA Forest information, guidance and feedback: Service, Lakewood, Colo. Joseph Duda (Project Lead), Interim State Forester, State Office, Whitney Cranshaw, Extension Entomologist, Department of Fort Collins, Colo. Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State Meg Halford, Assistant District Forester, Franktown District, University, Fort Collins, Colo. Franktown, Colo. Susan Gray, Program Lead, Forest Health Protection, USDA Forest Ryan Lockwood, Public and Media Relations Coordinator, Service, Lakewood, Colo. Outreach Division, State Office, Fort Collins, Colo. Brian Howell, Aerial Survey Program Manager, Forest Health Naomi Marcus, Assistant Staff Forester, Forest Management Protection, USDA Forest Service, Lakewood, Colo. Division, State Office, Fort Collins, Colo. William Jacobi, Professor of Plant Pathology, Department of Benjamin Pfohl, Assistant District Forester, Boulder District, Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State Boulder, Colo. University, Fort Collins, Colo. Kelly Rogers, District Forester, Grand Junction District, Grand Dave Leatherman, Forest Entomologist (Retired), Colorado State Junction, Colo. Forest Service, Fort Collins, Colo. GayLene Rossiter, Web Manager, Outreach Division, State Office, Roy Mask, Entomologist, Forest Health Protection, USDA Forest Fort Collins, Colo. Service, Gunnison, Colo. Matt Tansey, GIS Program Manager, State Office, Fort Collins, Ned Tisserat, Extension Plant Pathologist, Department of Colo. Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State Thanks to William M. Ciesla, Forest Health Management University, Fort Collins, Colo. International, Fort Collins, Colo., for his assistance in the Ralph Zentz, Assistant City Forester, City of Fort Collins, Colo. development of this report and his work as a contributing author Special thanks to: and photographer. S. Sky Stephens, Forest Entomologist; Judy Serby, Conservation Education Program Manager (Retired); Katherine Timm, Outreach Division Supervisor; and Lisa Mason, Outreach Forester, Colorado State Forest Service, for providing leadership in the production of this report. All photos by William M. Ciesla unless otherwise noted. Cover photo and page 1 photo: Bill Cotton 2012 Colorado Forest Health Report January 2013 On behalf of the Colorado State Forest In addition, over the last 15 years, the forest management, we can help ensure Service, it is my pleasure to present the wood products industry in Colorado that our future forests provide a variety of annual report on the health of Colorado’s has experienced a significant decline. resources and benefits that will meet the forests. The theme of this year’s report Forest products businesses provide local needs and values of current and future Ois “Forest Stewardship through Active employment, create economic diversity and generations. Management,” with an emphasis on the support forest management objectives. In This report provides an overview of the link between healthy forests and sound turn, forest management can support wood current condition of Colorado’s forests and forest management efforts. This is the products industries while promoting forest the recent activity of various insects and 12th consecutive year we have produced a health and reducing wildfire risk. diseases. It demonstrates how responsible report on the state of Colorado’s forests Last year, we asked two fundamental forest management – from wildfire risk and actions we are taking to mitigate forest questions: what do we want our future mitigation around a single residence to the health concerns. forests to look like, and what do we want maintenance of large-scale watersheds – Colorado’s forests have experienced them to provide? The possible answers are can be achieved. It also provides examples significant change over the past two as diverse as Colorado’s forests, but what is of how active forest management decades. We’ve seen unprecedented certain is that managing for healthy forests and stewardship will help ensure that mortality in our conifer forests, driven will allow for the production of biomass Colorado’s forests continue to provide all by poor resiliency to insects and diseases and traditional wood products; clean air the benefits we enjoy. that has been exacerbated by warmer and water; protection of wildlife habitat; I hope you find the information and drier weather conditions. After enhancement of recreational opportunities; contained in this report to be informative experiencing many years of a mountain reduced risk from wildfire; and support for and helpful. Please feel free to contact any pine beetle epidemic that has exceeded any local economies. CSFS office to learn more about our forests in Colorado’s recorded history, we now Now is the time to shape Colorado’s and what you can do to help manage and face another bark beetle epidemic – the future forests. We must seize the protect this precious resource. spruce beetle. For the first time in recent opportunity to take action based on the years, the acreage impacted by spruce beetle best available information and resources. surpassed that of the mountain pine beetle. The Colorado State Forest Service, the We’ve also seen significant growth in lead state agency for forest stewardship, Joseph A. Duda the wildland-urban interface (WUI), the management, applied research, technical Interim State Forester area where structures and other human assistance, and outreach and education, Colorado State Forest Service developments intermingle with forested is prepared to guide landowners and environments. Management is critical stakeholders throughout Colorado to plan, in the WUI to reduce the risk of wildfire implement and maintain successful forest to homes, property and infrastructure. management practices. Through sound 1 Executive Summary Each year, the Report on the Health of potentially invasive insect species, such as Colorado’s Forests provides information gypsy moth, emerald ash borer and exotic to the Colorado General Assembly and bark beetles. citizens of Colorado about the health and For the first time since the mountain Econdition of forests across the state. In pine beetle epidemic began, the acreage addition to providing a comprehensive impacted by spruce beetle surpassed overview of the current health of that of the mountain pine beetle. A Colorado’s forests, this year’s report also total of 311,000 acres of active spruce includes sidebars that highlight the ongoing beetle infestation were mapped in 2012. management and stewardship of our Outbreaks of spruce beetle continued in forests. These forest management actions four areas of Colorado: the San Juan and La help sustain production of wood and Garita mountains in southwest Colorado, non-timber products, support Colorado the Grand Mesa in western Colorado, the communities and economies, and ensure Wet Mountains in south-central Colorado the health and diversity of Colorado’s and portions of the Arapaho-Roosevelt forests for current and future generations. National Forest and Rocky Mountain The principal source of information National Park in north-central Colorado. for this report is the annual aerial forest Localized infestations also were detected on health survey, a cooperative project the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo between the Colorado State Forest Service Range. Infestations in the San Juan and and the Rocky Mountain Region of the La Garita mountains continued to spread USDA Forest Service. Other data sources north toward Lake City and northeast into include field inspections and contacts with the Cochetopa Hills toward Monarch Pass. forest landowners by CSFS personnel; the Active infestations continued in younger Colorado Forest Inventory and Analysis forests and in krummholz at the edge of (FIA) Program; and special surveys timberline in these areas. However, many designed to help ensure early detection of of the mature spruce trees in portions of 2 2012 Colorado Forest Health Report ◄ The Colorado River is one of the major river systems in Colorado that provides water to 18 states. Photo Credit: CSFS the San Juan and La Garita mountains, Western spruce budworm continued to The drought also continued to impact including areas within the Weminuche defoliate Douglas-fir, white fir and spruce many of Colorado’s forests in 2012, and Wilderness, were killed during previous in portions of the Sangre de Cristo/Culebra some experienced large wind events in years of the outbreak. ranges, the Wet Mountains and the San late 2011. Drought conditions caused leaf Although surpassed by spruce beetle in Juan Range. Approximately 217,000 acres scorch or severe desiccation of aspen and 2012, the mountain pine beetle continued of defoliation were visible during aerial other broadleaf trees and