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Publications

The Colorado State Forest Service offers publications on a diversity of topics. This webpage also contains publications from Colorado State University Extension about trees, forests and wildfire.

If you wish to receive copies of CSFS publications by mail, please refer to the order form.

Categories

Reports
Forest Management & Stewardship
Forest Insects, Diseases & Disorders
Tree Selection, Planting & Care
Wildfire Mitigation
Post-Fire Rehabilitation
Educators & Youth

CSFS Publications for Landowners, Homeowners & Communities

CSFS Overview

Caring for Colorado’s Forests: An Overview of the Colorado State Forest Service (423 KB PDF)
Colorado Forest Action Plan 2020 (56 MB PDF)
Colorado Forest Action Plan 2020 Five Year Review
Colorado Forest Facts (670 KB PDF)
Colorado State Forest Service Five-Year Strategic Plan: 2021-2025 (1.4 MB PDF)
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Reports

2025 Healthy Forests & Vibrant Communities Report
2025 Incentives for Local Government Grant Program Report (885 KB PDF)
2025 Report on the Health of Colorado’s Forests
2025 Rural Grant Navigator Grant Program Report (374 KB PDF)
2025 Wildfire Mitigation Outreach Grant Program Report (554 KB PDF)
2026 Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation Grant Program Report (1.1 MB PDF)
Colorado Forest Carbon Inventory (13 MB PDF)
Colorado Forest Management Activity Tracker (Forest Tracker) (4.7 MB PDF)
Colorado Forestry Best Management Practices: Forest Stewardship Guidelines for Water Quality Protection – 2023 Field Monitoring Report (6.2 MB PDF)
Colorado Senate Bill 22-007: Final Report (15.2 MB PDF)
Forest Management to Protect Colorado’s Water Resources: A Synthesis Report to Support House Bill 16-1255 (1.1 MB PDF)
Organizational Analysis of State Supported Wildfire Mitigation Efforts in Colorado (8.2 MB PDF)
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Forest Management & Stewardship

Choosing a Forestry Contractor and Consultant (282 KB PDF)
Colorado Forest Resilience Planning Guide (9.18 MB PDF)
Colorado Forest Road Field Handbook (13.6 MB PDF)
Colorado’s Forest Stewardship Program (458 KB PDF)
Forest Ag Program (350 KB PDF)
Forestry Best Management Practices to Protect Water Quality in Colorado 2023 (7 MB PDF)
Las mejores prácticas de gestión forestal para proteger la calidad del agua en Colorado 2023 (7.2 MB PDF)
Landowner Assistance Programs for Forestry/Agroforestry in Colorado (57 KB PDF)
Landowner Guide to Living with Bark Beetles (2.7 MB PDF)
Landowner Guide to Thinning (1.5 MB PDF)
Landowning Colorado Style (3.4 MB PDF)
Living Snow Fences: Protection That Just Keeps Growing (5.3 MB PDF)
Mastication Operational Guidelines (234 KB PDF)
Mulching: A knowledge summary and guidelines for best practices on Colorado’s Front Range (9.22 MB PDF)
Where Wood Works: Harnessing the Energy of Woody Biomass in Colorado (4.9 MB PDF)
Why Manage Our Forests? (350 KB PDF)
Woody Biomass in Colorado: Quantification, Assessment and Opportunities
 

Managing Forest Types

Cottonwood Management: Ecology, Rehabilitation, Wildfire and Other Considerations (7.8 MB PDF)
Gambel Oak Management (Fact Sheet 6.311) (3 MB PDF)
Lodgepole Pine Management Guidelines for Land Managers in the Wildland-Urban Interface (1.3 MB PDF)
Piñon-Juniper Management (Quick Guide FM 2011-1) (401 KB PDF)
The Status of Our Scientific Understanding of Lodgepole Pine and Mountain Pine Beetles – A Focus on Forest Ecology and Fire Behavior (808 KB PDF)
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Forest Insects, Diseases & Disorders

Aphids on Shade Trees and Ornamentals (Fact Sheet 5.511) (2.5 MB PDF)
Asian Longhorned Beetle in Colorado – Identification of Insects and Damage of Similar Appearance (321 KB PDF)
Aspen and Poplar Leaf Spots (Fact Sheet 2.920) (2.6 MB PDF)
Bacterial Wetwood (Fact Sheet 2.910) (3.1 MB PDF)
Bark Beetles: Are Your Trees at Risk? (2.4 MB PDF)
Cytospora Canker (Fact Sheet 2.937) (1.4 MB PDF)
Douglas-fir Beetle (Quick Guide FM 2016-1) (560 KB PDF)
Douglas-fir Tussock Moth (Quick Guide FM 2015-2) (5.4 MB PDF)
Douglas-fir Tussock Moth Treatment Options (8.9 MB PDF)
Emerald Ash Borer (Quick Guide UCF 2016-1) (6 MB PDF)
Environmental Disorders of Woody Plants (Fact Sheet 2.932) (122 KB PDF)
Fir Engraver Beetle (Quick Guide FM 2016-3) (6.8 MB PDF)
Fire Blight in Ornamental Trees and Shrubs (Fact Sheet 2.907) (5.3 MB PDF)
Gypsy Moth in Colorado – Identification of Insects and Damage of Similar Appearance (537 KB PDF)
Gypsy Moth: What You Need to Know about the Threat to Forests in Colorado (409 KB PDF)
Honeylocust Diseases (Fact Sheet 2.939) (4.2 MB PDF)
Ips Beetles (Fact Sheet 5.558) (9.7 MB PDF)
Leafmining Insects (Fact Sheet 5.548) (612 KB PDF)
Magnesium Chloride Toxicity in Trees (Fact Sheet 7.425) (2.8 MB PDF)
Mistletoes in Colorado Conifers (Fact Sheet 2.925) (4 MB PDF)
Mountain Pine Beetle (Fact Sheet 5.528) (10.7 MB PDF)
Oystershell Scale (Fact Sheet 5.513) (2.5 MB PDF)
Piñon Ips Bark Beetle (Quick Guide FM 2020-6) (5.3 MB PDF)
Pinyon Pine Diseases and Insects (Fact Sheet 2.948) (3.1 MB PDF)
Poplar Twiggall Fly (Fact Sheet 5.579) (2.2 MB PDF)
Product Use to Prevent Mountain Pine Beetle (Quick Guide ID 2010-1) (2.3 MB PDF)
Shade Tree Borers (Fact Sheet 5.530) (4.6 MB PDF)
Spruce Beetle (Quick Guide FM 2014-1) (493 KB PDF)
Sudden Aspen Decline in Colorado (2.3 MB PDF)
Systemic Plant Evaluation (205 KB PDF)
Tent-Making Caterpillars (Fact Sheet 5.583) (4.3 MB PDF)
Thousand Cankers Disease of Black Walnut: How to Identify and Prevent the Spread of Thousand Cankers Disease (335 KB PDF)
Walnut Twig Beetle and Thousand Cankers Disease of Black Walnut (511 KB PDF)
Western Cedar Bark Beetles (62 KB PDF)
Western Spruce Budworm (Quick Guide FM 2016-2) (5.5 MB PDF)
What’s Happening in Colorado’s Aspen Forests (1 MB PDF)
 

Forest Insects, Diseases & Disorders Posters

Dwarf Mistletoes Poster (232 KB PDF)
Ips Beetles in Colorado Poster (946 KB PDF)
Mountain Pine Beetle Poster (313 KB PDF)
Mountain Pine Beetle Management Poster (1.3 MB PDF)
Spruce Bark Beetle Poster (253 KB PDF)
Western Spruce Budworm Poster (270 KB PDF)
What’s Ailing Your Aspen? Poster (935 KB PDF)
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Tree Selection, Planting & Care

Caring for Storm-Damaged Trees (Quick Guide UCF 2010-1) (693 KB PDF)
Colorado Native Tree Guide (268 KB PDF)
Drought-Tolerant Trees for Colorado Landscapes (208 KB PDF)
Evergreen Trees (Fact Sheet 7.403) (500 KB PDF)
Fall and Winter Watering (Fact Sheet 7.211) (1.49 MB PDF)
Front Range Tree Recommendation List® (2 MB PDF)
Growth Rates of Common Urban Trees in Westminster, Colorado (1 MB PDF)
Healthy Roots and Healthy Trees (Fact Sheet 2.926) (2.3 MB PDF)
Large Deciduous Trees (Fact Sheet 7.419) (738 KB PDF)
Native Shrubs for Colorado Landscapes (Fact Sheet 7.422) (5.4 MB PDF)
Native Trees for Colorado Landscapes (Fact Sheet 7.421) (4.6 MB PDF)
Protecting Trees During Construction (Fact Sheet 7.420) (346 KB PDF)
Pruning Cuts (637 KB PDF)
Pruning Evergreens (253 KB PDF)
Pruning Mature Shade Trees (988 KB PDF)
Recommended Trees for Plains Communities of Northeastern Colorado (252 KB PDF)
Recommended Trees for Plains Communities of Southeastern Colorado (895 KB PDF)
Recommended Trees for the San Luis Valley Communities of Colorado (935 KB PDF)
Small Deciduous Trees (Fact Sheet 7.418) (719 KB PDF)
The Science of Planting Trees (1.1 MB PDF)
Tree Placement: Right Plant, Right Place (582 KB PDF)
Tree Selection: Right Plant, Right Place (401 KB PDF)
Trees and Shrubs for Mountain Areas (Fact Sheet 7.423) (4.4 MB PDF)
Xeriscaping: Trees and Shrubs (Fact Sheet 7.229) (711 KB PDF)
 

Nursery Publications

Aspen Seed Collection (757 KB PDF)
Fruits of Your Labor: A Cookbook for Windbreak Fruits (532 KB PDF)
Planting Guide (51 KB PDF)
Species Suitability Guide (55 KB PDF)
Trees for Conservation: A Buyer’s Guide (1.8 MB PDF)
Trees for Conservation: Planning, Planting & Care (1.8 MB PDF)
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Wildfire Mitigation

Cheatgrass and Wildfire (Fact Sheet 6.310) (942 KB PDF)
Colorado Property & Insurance Wildfire Preparedness Guide (4 MB PDF)
Fire-Adapted Landscaping Practices (Fact Sheet 6.303) (1.5 MB PDF)
FireWise Construction: Site Design & Building Materials (1.3 MB PDF)
Forest Home Fire Safety (Fact Sheet 6.304) (836 KB PDF)
Grass Seed Mixes to Reduce Wildfire Hazard (Fact Sheet 6.306) (717 KB PDF)
Home Ignition Zone: A Guide to Preparing Your Home for Wildfire and Creating Defensible Space (2.7 MB PDF)
La Zona De Ignición Del Hogar (Spanish version of Home Ignition Zone guide) (1.1 MB PDF)
Ignition-Resistant Landscape Plants (Fact Sheet 6.305) (850 KB PDF)
Wildfire Fuels Management Practices in Grass-Dominated Landscapes
 

Community Wildfire Protection Planning

Community Guide to Preparing and Implementing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (8.6 MB PDF)
Community Wildfire Protection Plan Evaluation Guide (809 KB PDF)
Community Wildfire Protection Plans: Briefing Paper (48 KB PDF)
Fuelbreak Guidelines for Forested Subdivisions & Communities (611 KB PDF)
<ahref=”https://csfs.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/PODs_CWPP_Guidance_August2022.pdf”> Integrating Potential Operational Delineations [PODs] into Community Wildfire Protection Plans: Guidance for Community Planners (7.6 MB PDF)
Leaders Guide for Developing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (209 KB PDF)
Minimum Standards for Developing Community Wildfire Protection Plans (75 KB PDF)
Preparing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan: A Handbook for Wildland-Urban Interface Communities (662 KB PDF)
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Post-Fire Rehabilitation

Colorado Wildfire Planning and Recovery Playbook (external link to Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment)
Insects and Diseases Associated with Forest Fires (Fact Sheet 6.309) (7.3 MB PDF)
Replanting in Burn Areas: Tips for Safety and Success (730 KB PDF)
Soil Erosion Control after Wildfire (Fact Sheet 6.308) (2.7 MB PDF)
Vegetative Recovery after Wildfire (Fact Sheet 6.307) (188 KB PDF)
The following brochures offer information on the management and treatment of burned trees on your property.
Douglas-Fir (586 KB PDF)
Gambel Oak & Serviceberry (865 KB PDF)
Pinyon Pine & Juniper (888 KB PDF)
Ponderosa & Lodgepole Pine (896 KB PDF)
Quaking Aspen (939 KB PDF)
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Educators & Youth

A Year in the Life of a Mountain Pine Beetle By: Buford the Mountain Pine Beetle (Coloring Book) (1.7 MB PDF)
A Year in the Life of a Mountain Pine Beetle By: Buford the Mountain Pine Beetle (Storybook) (1.2 MB PDF)
Colorado Blue Spruce Poster (735 KB PDF)
Colorado Native Tree Cards (2.2 MB PDF)
Colorado Natives: Trees Poster (8.6 MB PDF)
The Role of Wildland Fire in Our Forests (1.7 MB PDF)
Make Your Home FireWise (Coloring Book) (433 KB PDF)
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