Gunnison District

Forest Management and Stewardship

The Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) provides sound forestry recommendations and implementation assistance to private landowners, communities and cooperating agencies in order to improve forest amenities such as tree health, wildlife habitat, soil and water conservation, forest products and recreational opportunities. We offer a variety of forest management services, including the CSFS Nursery seedling tree program. CSFS is also a sponsor of the Forest Stewardship Program, a national effort at forest planning and recognition for forest landowners.

Forest Management Assistance through CSFS

Forest Management and Timber Harvest Plans

Good management begins with a sound management plan designed to meet a landowner's needs. A management plan will identify the landowner's objectives for their property, describe the resources present and recommend specific practices needed to attain these objectives. The plan involves an in-depth inventory of the timber as well as the other resources on the property, such as range and/or wildlife. When writing a management plan, we often consult with other natural resource professionals from, for example, the Natural Resources Conservation Service or the Colorado Division of Wildlife, for their expertise so that the plan is as interdisciplinary as possible.

CSFS is also the primary review agency for county planning departments that require logging plans as part of a land use application.

Timber Cruising / Mapping

Timber cruising is the process of determining the amount (in cubic feet, board feet or weight) of timber on a given unit (usually acres) of land. Accepted statistical sampling procedures must be used and the accuracy of the "cruise" must be calculated in order to be valid. A qualified professional forester with no financial interest in the sale of your timber should conduct your timber cruise. Sometimes, a landowner may be interested in simply cruising or mapping a particular property or timber stand to determine possible sale potential or value. The Grand Junction District of the CSFS has developed a spread sheet and stand-alone DOS executable programs for volume determination of all commercial timber species in Colorado. In addition, we incorporate the latest GPS, CADD and GIS capabilities into our mapping of your forested property.

Insect and Disease Surveys

CSFS is available to assess your forested lands for insect and disease occurrence and to make recommendations for control where needed. This service is provided as part of any management plan,and is also available to individual lot owners or homeowner associations concerned with specific pests (e.g., Ips engraver beetle, mountain pine beetle or spruce budworm). A diagnostic lab is available through Colorado State University that can further study samples. Additional information is available for many forest pests through Colorado State University Extension.

Timber Sale Preparation/Administration

A wise seller will know the amount and value of any commodity for sale; this is especially true when selling timber. We offer commercial timber sale layout, marking, cruising (volume determination) and traversing for acreage calculation. We can also prepare timber sale contracts, and have an extensive bidder's list to assist in offering a sale whether it's a few cords of firewood or several million board feet of sawlogs.

CSFS emphasizes on-the-ground implementation of sound forest management principles. Most of the above services require a user fee, which is covered through a standard CSFS service agreement that outlines what we can do for you and associated costs.

Forest Agricultural Property Tax

In 1990, the Colorado legislature enacted House Bill 1229, which allowed certain forested properties to qualify for agricultural property tax status. A landowner, owning at least 40 acres of forested land and willing to manage the property to produce wood products, is now eligible to receive agricultural tax status without necessarily grazing or farming the land (CRS 39-1-102 (69 KB PDF)). CSFS is responsible for annually reviewing these properties and making recommendations to county tax assessors regarding "Forest Ag" eligibility.

Cost-share Assistance Programs

For landowner assistance programs, visit our Programs for Homeowner & Landowners page.

Wood Utilization and Consulting Foresters

CSFS maintains a current list of consulting foresters in the state available to assist landowners with their forest management needs. In addition, we maintain a Forest Products Directory that lists several primary and secondary processors, fuelwood suppliers and logging contractors.

The following websites provide additional information:

Colorado Wood Marketing and Utilization (CoWood)
Colorado Forest Products™

CSFS emphasizes on-the-ground implementation of sound forest management principles. Most of the above services provided through our office require a user fee, which is covered through a standard CSFS service agreement that outlines what we will do for you at what cost.

CSFS Seedling Tree Program

Availability of Nursery-grown Seedling Trees

Our seedling tree nursery, located in Fort Collins, grows more than 2 million seedlings each year. These trees are available at nominal cost to rural landowners who own at least two acres of land. The aim of our seedling tree program is to encourage landowners to plant effective windbarriers to protect buildings, cropland and feedlots, and to assist in erosion control, wildlife habitat (175 KB PDF), reforestation and Christmas tree plantations. Participating landowners must agree not to use the trees for ornamental or landscaping purposes nor resell the trees as living plants. Contact your local nursery for ornamental needs.

The Gunnison District can also provide custom grown seedlings to local landowners. Our greenhouse in Gunnison produces aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood and native willows from local seed sources. Branch cuttings of narrowleaf cottonwood and native willow from your property can be grown in our greenhouse. These local seed sources have proven very hardy when planted in the Gunnison Basin.

Seedling tree order forms are available through the CSFS Nursery or through seedling tree cooperators. More than 50 species of trees and shrubs (1.9 MB PDF) are available in bundles of 50 (bare root) or lots of 30 (potted). A variety of deciduous and coniferous species are available for order beginning in late October; the best selection is assured by ordering before mid-January. Trees are delivered to a central distribution point in the spring. You will be notified of the exact pickup date and location after your order is placed.

Seedling Tree Care Program

The goal of our tree care program is to provide you with tips to help your trees survive. We offer a single source catalog for seedling survival supplies at reasonable prices because we buy in bulk and pass along the savings. Materials available through our office include drip irrigation kits, polymer soil additive/root dip, tree guards, tree shades, animal repellent and weed barrier fabric. Throughout the winter, we offer seedling tree care workshops to demonstrate the use of these various products and show you how to plan, plant and care for your trees (1.84 MB PDF) for maximum survival and growth. For those who wish to install a drip irrigation system, installation instructions (53 KB PDF) are available.

Tree Farm Program

CSFS is a co-sponsor of the American Tree Farm System, a national program that encourages private forest owners to effectively grow trees as a crop by sharing information and through recognition. Certified Tree Farmers receive a Tree Farm certificate, sign, regular mailings of the American Tree Farmer magazine (from the American Forest Foundation) and tree farm newsletters from their own state tree farm committee.

Forest Management Links

CSFS Nursery Home Page
CSFS Nursery Seedling Planting Tips and Guidelines
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Colorado Division of Wildlife
American Forest Foundation
Tree Farm System - Colorado Tree Farm Committee

Forest Management Publications

Forest Pest Information Sheets
Natural Resource Information Sheets
Gardening/Tree/Shrub Information Sheets
Drip Irrigation Instructions (40 KB PDF)