Serving the San Luis Valley, including Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande and Saguache counties
The CSFS Alamosa Field Office (right) works with residents and partners in the San Luis Valley to improve forest health, steward their trees and prepare homes and communities for wildfire.
The San Luis Valley covers roughly 8,500 square miles and extends from the valley floor at 7,500 feet to the summit of Mount Blanca at 14,351 feet.
This wide range of elevation and the arid climate of southern Colorado support a variety of forest types, including piñon-juniper, mixed-conifer and spruce-fir.
The headwaters of the Rio Grande River start here and support riparian species, such as plains cottonwoods and willows.
101 South Craft Drive, Ste B
Alamosa, CO 81101
P.O. Box 1137
Alamosa, CO 81101-1137
719-587-0915, 719-587-0917
[email protected]
We help landowners from city lots to 1,000s of acres manage their trees with services ranging from insect and disease identification and management to writing and implementing forest management plans.
Landowners in Colorado with over 40 forested acres are eligible to sell their timber through the Forest Ag Program, which offers similar tax valuations of traditional agricultural lands. Forest landowners voluntarily participate in the Forest Ag Program and must fulfill certain requirements for initial eligibility.
Assisting residents in assessing their wildfire risk through community education events, designing fuels reduction projects, marking defensible spaces, grant opportunities and administering contracts.
Helping communities reduce their wildfire risk by becoming Firewise USA Communities.
Check out current insect and disease conditions with our interactive statewide map.
Warmer weather conditions with their associated droughts in the San Luis Valley create growing conditions that stress the health of trees making them more susceptible to native pests. Staff can assist in identifying what is affecting your trees and management options.
Douglas-fir beetle – Insect killing most trees around the San Luis Valley
Alamosa County – Zapata Falls and Medano Creek in the Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
Saguache County – Poncha Pass, Colo. 114 towards Cochetopa Pass
Conejos County – Colo. 17 in Conejos Canyon
Mineral County – Colo. 149 towards Creede
Rio Grande County – South Fork, Rock Creek and the Rio Grande National Forest
Rio Grande County – South Fork
Alamosa County – Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
Saguache County – Poncha Pass
Conejos County – Alamosa Canyon, Platoro Reservoir
Mineral County – Rio Grande National Forest
Rio Grande County – Rio Grande National Forest
Windbreaks are trees or shrubs planted in a row with the most common benefit of reducing blowing wind. Living snow fences are a type of windbreak planting of shrubs and trees located along roads designed to trap snow.
If you want to plant a windbreak in the valley, buffaloberry and Rocky Mountain juniper are excellent for drought resistance, cold hardiness and alkali tolerance. The narrowleaf cottonwood and golden willow require more water but also do well in alkaline soils and are cold-hardy.
The most popular shrubs native to Colorado and the valley are: chokecherry, sumac, buffaloberry, wax currant, antelope bitterbrush and four-wing saltbrush.
In addition, sumac and four-wing saltbrush are excellent for drought resistance and cold hardiness. If you have alkaline soils, buffaloberry and four-wing saltbrush are good choices.
Trees native to the valley are: narrowleaf cottonwood, and in higher elevations, aspen, Colorado blue spruce, Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, Rocky Mountain juniper, white fir, bristlecone pine and limber pine.
Due to a shared pest with potatoes – the green peach aphid – the Colorado Department of Agriculture has imposed a quarantine of certain Prunus species. Due to this quarantine, Manchurian Apricot and Plum are not for sale within the San Luis Valley. There is an exception to this quarantine for the following species as they are not a known host for the green peach aphid:
If you want to plant a windbreak in the valley, buffaloberry and Rocky Mountain juniper are excellent for drought resistance, cold hardiness and alkali tolerance. The narrowleaf cottonwood and golden willow require more water, but also do well in alkaline soils and are cold hardy.
For more information about recommended trees & shrubs, check out these documents:
| Fertilizer Tablets 20% nitrogen, 10% phosphorous & 5% potassium (Packaged in bags of 50) |
$10/bag |
| Polymer Soil Additive (8 oz bag – will do approx. 60 seedlings) |
$9/bag |
| Slurry Polymer (8 oz bag – will do approx. 100 seedlings) | $9/bag |
| Tree Guard with stakes (24″ high) | $1.10 each |
| Tree Shade (sunscreen) with wickets | $1 each |
| Weed Barrier Fabric – 6′ x 300′ roll Weed Barrier Fabric – 4′ x 4′ square |
$140.00/roll $3/square |
For more information, visit Seedling Tree Nursery page.
The Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners (State Land Board), manages lands that the U.S. federal government granted to Colorado in public trust, commonly referred to as State Land Trust. The Alamosa Field Office helps manage forested portions of these lands in our area. Examples include:
First authorized by Congress in the 2014 Farm Bill, the Good Neighbor Authority program allows the federal government to enter into agreements with state forestry agencies to help implement critical forest management activities. This agreement adds the capacity needed to foster positive change in Colorado’s forests. The Alamosa Field Office has been working with the Rio Grande National Forest under a GNA agreement since 2017.
The Alamosa Field Office assists the Rio Grande National Forest in increasing their positive impact on forests within the San Luis Valley. This support is in the form of commercial firewood permits, small and large timber sales, and timber stand improvement projects.
The Alamosa Field Office expanded its GNA Program with the BLM in 2021. As with the GNA agreements with USFS, CSFS brings added capacity and expertise to assist with the management of forested BLM lands. This direct assistance is in the form of timber stand improvements, fuels reduction and wildlife habitat improvement projects.
Firewood – commercial firewood
Small timber sales – 1-10 acres
Large timber sales – contact our office to get on our bid list for purchasing
Managing trees for wildlife, fuels management and insect & disease control.
Projects with both the BLM and USFS to manage pinyon-juniper stands, reduce insect and disease damage, improve wildlife habitat, and reduce wildfire risk.
Focused work where trees are thinned with chainsaws. The thinned trees are either put in piles to be burned or spread on the ground for broadcast prescribed burns.
Within the Alamosa Field Office area, the following communities are Tree City USA participants:
We also help communities by providing:
Providing education on the benefits and management of trees is an important part of our work. Our outreach activities include:
Contact the following partners in the service area for the Alamosa Field Office for more programs and services about trees and forests:
Monte Vista / Conejos Peak District / Divide District / Saguache District
Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
BLM San Luis Valley Field Office
Helping landowners from city lots to 1,000s of acres manage their trees with services ranging from insect and disease identification and management to writing and implementing forest management plans.
Landowners in Colorado with over 40 forested acres are eligible to sell their timber through the Forest Ag Program, which offers similar tax valuations of traditional agricultural lands. Forest landowners voluntarily participate in the Forest Ag Program and must fulfill certain requirements for initial eligibility.
Assisting residents in assessing their wildfire risk through community education events, designing fuels reduction projects, marking defensible spaces, grant opportunities and administering contracts.
Helping communities reduce their wildfire risk by becoming Firewise USA Communities.
Warmer weather conditions with their associated droughts in the San Luis Valley create growing conditions that stress the health of trees making them more susceptible to native pests. Staff can assist in identifying what is affecting your trees and management options.
Highlights of locations of insects & disease damage in each county.
Douglas-fir beetle – Insect killing most trees around the San Luis Valley
Alamosa County – Zapata Falls and Medano Creek in the Great Sand Dunes National Park
Saguache County – Poncha Pass, Hwy 114 towards Cochetopa Pass
Conejos County – Hwy 17 in Conejos Canyon
Mineral County – Hwy 149 towards Creede
Rio Grande County – South Fork, Rock Creek and the Rio Grande National Forest
Rio Grande County – South Fork
Alamosa County – Great Sand Dunes National Park
Saguache County – Poncha Pass
Conejos County – Alamosa Canyon, Platoro Reservoir
Mineral County – Rio Grande National Forest
Rio Grande County – Rio Grande National Forest
Within the Alamosa Field Office, the following communities are Tree City USA participants – Alamosa, Del Norte, Monte Vista, and Saguache.
We also help communities by providing pruning workshops, tree planting grants, tree selection, and landscape plan reviews.
Windbreaks are trees or shrubs planted in a row with the most common benefit of reducing blowing wind. Living snow fences are a type of windbreak planting of shrubs and trees located along roads designed to trap snow.
The most popular shrubs native to Colorado and the valley are: chokecherry, sumac, buffaloberry, wax currant, antelope bitterbrush and four-wing saltbrush.
In addition, sumac and four-wing saltbrush are excellent for drought resistance and cold hardiness. If you have alkaline soils, buffaloberry and four-wing saltbrush are good choices.
Trees native to the valley are: narrowleaf cottonwood, and in higher elevations, aspen, Colorado blue spruce, Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, Rocky Mountain juniper, white fir, bristlecone pine and limber pine.
Due to a shared pest with potatoes – the green peach aphid – the Colorado Department of Agriculture has imposed a quarantine of certain Prunus species. Due to this quarantine, Manchurian Apricot and Plum are not for sale within the San Luis Valley. There is an exception to this quarantine for the following species as they are not a known host for the green peach aphid:
If you want to plant a windbreak in the valley, buffaloberry and Rocky Mountain juniper are excellent for drought resistance, cold hardiness and alkali tolerance. The narrowleaf cottonwood and golden willow require more water, but also do well in alkaline soils and are cold hardy.
For more information about recommended trees & shrubs, check out these documents:
| Fertilizer Tablets 20% nitrogen, 10% phosphorous & 5% potassium (Packaged in bags of 50) |
$10/bag |
| Polymer Soil Additive (8 oz bag – will do approx. 60 seedlings) |
$9/bag |
| Slurry Polymer (8 oz bag – will do approx. 100 seedlings) | $9/bag |
| Tree Guard with stakes (24″ high) | $1.10 each |
| Tree Shade (sunscreen) with wickets | $1 each |
| Weed Barrier Fabric – 6′ x 300′ roll Weed Barrier Fabric – 4′ x 4′ square |
$140.00/roll $3/square |
For more information, visit Seedling Tree Nursery page.
Visit our Resources for Educators & Youth page for more information.
Jointly working with CO Parks & Wildlife to manage habitat for wildlife.
Providing both individual and commercial firewood permits.
Providing both individual and commercial tree transplant opportunities
Saguache County – Marmot Spruce Salvage – 1,087 acres
Future projects
Conejos County – Conejos Canyon and 2A mastication projects – 426 acres.
Alamosa County – Zapata HOA fuels reduction and thinning projects
2027 work
Past Projects
Saguache Spruce NWTF Timber Sale – 1900 acres
First authorized by Congress in the 2014 Farm Bill, the Good Neighbor Authority program allows the federal government to enter into agreements with state forestry agencies to help implement critical forest management activities. This agreement adds the capacity needed to foster positive change in Colorado’s forests. The Alamosa Field Office has been working with the Rio Grande National Forest under a GNA agreement since 2017.
USFS – The Alamosa Field Office assists the Rio Grande National Forest in increasing their positive impact on forests within the San Luis Valley. This support is in the form of commercial firewood permits, small and large timber sales, and timber stand improvement projects.
BLM – The Alamosa Field Office expanded its GNA Program with the BLM in 2021. As with the GNA agreements with USFS, CSFS brings added capacity and expertise to assist with the management of forested BLM lands. This direct assistance is in the form of timber stand improvements, fuels reduction and wildlife habitat improvement projects.
Firewood – commercial firewood
Small timber sales – 1-10 acres
Large timber sales – contact our office to get on our bid list for purchasing
Managing trees for wildlife, fuels management and insect & disease control.
Projects with both the BLM and USFS to manage pinyon-juniper stands, reduce insect & disease damage, improve wildlife habitat, and reduce wildfire risk.
Focused work where trees are thinned with chainsaws. The thinned trees are either put in piles to be burned or spread on the ground for broadcast prescribed burns.
Contact the following partners in the service area for the Alamosa Field Office for more programs and services about trees and forests:
Monte Vista / Conejos Peak District / Divide District / Saguache District
Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
BLM San Luis Valley Field Office
Alamosa Nat’l Wildlife Refuge
Baca Nat’l Wildlife Refuge
Monte Vista Nat’l Wildlife Refuge
Q: Where can I harvest firewood?
A: Permits for firewood on State Trust Land can be purchased from the CSFS office. Permits for firewood on BLM land can be purchased online or at their office in Monte Vista or online.
Permits for firewood on USFS land can be purchased online or at their offices in La Jara, Del Norte or Saguache.
Q: Where can I camp on State Trust Land?
A: The CSFS does not manage recreational opportunities on State Trust Land. Our primary objective is to increase forest health, while creating revenue for the state. Colorado Parks and Wildlife may be able to assist you in locating a suitable place to camp. They can be reached at 719-587-6900.
Q: How do I purchase seedlings from the CSFS?
A: The CSFS conservation seedling program starts to take orders around November and delivers the seedlings near the end of April. If you live in a county the Alamosa Field Office serves, you may place your order with the CSFS nursery within the allotted timeframe.
Q: What makes the CSFS different from the U.S. Forest Service?
A: The CSFS primarily assists private forest landowners with their forest management goals and also manages state trust lands. The USFS concentrates mostly on federal land.
Q: I want to do wildfire mitigation work on my property, who should I contact?
A: Contact your local CSFS field office. We are more than happy to do a defensible space consultation. During the consultation, we will look over your property, address your concerns, and give recommendations or design a project.
Permits for firewood on State Trust Land can be purchased from the Alamosa Field Office. Permits for firewood on U.S. Bureau of Land Management land can be purchased online or at their office in Monte Vista.
Permits for firewood on U.S. Forest Service land can be purchased online or at the La Jara, Del Norte or Saguache offices.
The CSFS does not manage recreational opportunities on State Trust Land. Our primary objective is to increase forest health, while creating revenue for the state.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife may be able to assist you in locating a suitable place to camp. Call them at 719-587-6900.
The CSFS conservation seedling program takes orders around November each year and delivers the seedlings near the end of April.
If you live in a county the Alamosa Field Office serves, you may place your order with the CSFS nursery within the allotted timeframe.
The CSFS primarily assists private forest landowners with their forest management goals and also manages State Trust Lands. The USFS concentrates mostly on federal land.
Contact your local CSFS field office. We are more than happy to conduct a defensible space consultation for your property. During the consultation, we will:
Colorado State Forest Service staff helped San Luis Valley Health receive the first Healthcare Tree Campus designation in Colorado from the Arbor Day Foundation.
The Rock Creek Mechanical Fuels Reduction Project boosts forest conditions on 767 acres in southwest Colorado.
Supervisory Forester Adam Moore played a key role in the Wildfire Research team that will receive the prestigious award at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science in November.
