The annual forest health report shows the continued spread of mountain pine beetles and other forest insects during the second consecutive year of above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation.
The CSFS and partners, including the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program, signed a conservation easement to protect 3,386 acres of important forested and riparian habitat for both aquatic and terrestrial wildlife.
Colorado’s winter and spring have set records for heat and lack of moisture, according to the Colorado Climate Center, and the double whammy could hurt urban forests throughout the state by making them more vulnerable to disease and pests.
Gov. Polis proclaimed May is Wildfire Awareness Month. Colorado is entering the 2026 wildfire season with significant drought, low snowpack and higher temperatures.
Colorado State University celebrated 15 years as an Arbor Day Foundation Tree Campus with a tree planting and ceremony April 24. Students, faculty, staff and community members recognized Arbor Day and the milestone anniversary by planting nine trees on the north side of the Hartshorn Building in the center of campus.
Gold Creek’s proactive mitigation efforts limited fire spread and intensity, which allowed firefighters gain control more quickly and operate more safely according to Elizabeth Fire Protection District Chief TJ Steck.
Increased tree mortality from mountain pine beetles has the potential to alter fire behavior and wildfire risk to communities in a highly populated area of Colorado.
Semiochemicals can be important tools to monitor and control bark beetle populations as part of an integrated pest management strategy.
The CSFS used aerial survey and FIA data to examine ponderosa pine-dominant forests affected by an outbreak of mountain pine beetles in a nine-county area of the Front Range.
