“We’re going into this season looking really good; the aspen stands are greener than I’ve seen in quite some time, and it looks like everything’s setting up perfectly to have a really good aspen show across much of the state,” said Dan West, an entomologist for the Colorado State Forest Service.
During their annual hearing before the Colorado General Assembly, State Forester Matthew McCombs and Regional Forester Frank Beum announced a report detailing the results of the 2021 aerial detection survey led by the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, and Colorado State Forest Service.
The Colorado State Forest Service published its annual forest health report this week, highlighting the current conditions of forests across Colorado and how the agency is improving the health of the state’s forests in the face of persistent drought and historic wildfires.
Forest managers are working together to address continued outbreaks of insects and disease in Colorado’s forests, including the spruce beetle, which remains the most damaging forest pest in the state for the ninth consecutive year, based on a 2020 aerial detection survey led by the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, and Colorado State Forest Service.
