United fight against pine beetle attack

A unified approach to fighting the effects of the pine beetle is emerging according to Gary Severson Executive Director of the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments (NWCOG). As a guest of the Mountain Pine Beetle Task Force, Severson reported on a recent meeting between NWCOG, Rural Resort Region, Colorado Counties, Inc, and representatives of the Colorado Senate and House. Looking for collaborative solutions, the multi-jurisdictional group recommended the creation of a Colorado Pine Beetle Czar to coordinate efforts, and forming statewide or regional forest health districts to raise funds.

 

Severson also cited the recent meetings that brought together a bi-partisan committee of the Colorado congressional delegation to draft unified bark beetle legislation to present to Congress during the next session. The meeting focused on combining the essential elements of previous legislation, along with suggestions offered by citizens and community organizations. NWCOG is recommending that the legislation addresses the following issues: a stable supply of wood for timber contracts, adequate funding for mitigation projects, contracting reform, financial incentives and assistance for the private sector, and incentives for multi-jurisdictional collaboration. Courtney Staatz of Senator Allard’s office and Trudy Kareus representing Senator Salazar, both commented on the commitment of all parties to continue to work on the legislation.

 

NWCOG became aware of forest health issues shortly after it’s inception when it looked at White River National Forest plan, and found omissions. They asked the Forest Service  for a mechanism on how to work with other governments. NWCOG shifted it’s focus to wild fire mitigation by  helping communities develop community wildfire plans.  Mark Udall asked NWCOG to become involved in the pine beetle fight. The Northern Colorado Bark Beetle cooperative was formed to unify efforts across jurisdictional lines leading to the creation  of  the  Pine Beetle strike team “BITE”  a team of professional that can travel to communities effected by infestation and help to organize the local government to create community fire protection plans, apply for grants and organize to educate citizens and implement fire mitigation.

 

A recent visit to Washington DC by NWCOG and CCI officials resulted in meetings with chiefs of the Agriculture and Interior Departments. These meetings yielded  $550K in funding to be used in the five counties most severely hit by the beetle. In Summit County 85K has been allocated for two tree thinning projects, one  behind County Commons reaching to  behind Summit  High School and the other on the Frisco Peninsula.

 

Severson recently attended a conference in Montana to asses what messages the public is   being given, by tempering scientific with social and economic information. The consensus is that fire danger is elevated when the trees are red and still hold their pine needles. As the tress turn grey and drop the needles fire danger is decreased. The trees will then fall over and create more ground fuels once again raising fire danger. This last phase is particularly harm full because young trees may be emerging at this point and the mega fires caused by the fallen dead trees could result in fires that kills trees that have not formed seed pods for future regeneration.

 

In Northwest Colorado the consensus is to spend grant money in the Urban Wildland Interface. By examining county maps where each county’s priorities are defined partnerships can be formed to work across county lines.

 

State Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald reported that the State of Colorado is committed to protecting essential infrastructure: transmission lines, transportation and watershed, and protecting consumers by working with the insurance industry to provide full converge in the event of catastrophic fire due to standing dead trees.  She also emphasized the states interest in promoting the use of bio fuels for heating as a way of making use of beetle kill timber.

 

The formation of healthy forest districts was discussed as a means of raising funds for fire mitigation and forest management. Since these districts would require ballot initiatives, their formation would not be possible in the meantime. Howard Hallman asked about the possibility of tax exemptions for coal fired plants that wanted to co-fire using biomass as well. Fitz-Gerald expressed her resistance to using tax exemptions in the wake of the roll back of tax refunds that the state had recently passed to try to offset budget shortfalls.

 

 

Additional state issues being examined is the responsibility that CDOT has to monitor trees on it’s right of ways to insure that tree fall does not  cause damage to cars and road, or cause conditions that would render transportation corridors unusable in the event of catastrophe. Fitz-Gerald also is concerned that front range residents need to have a better understanding of the situation in the mountains and how this could effect health and water  in their communities as well.

 

Ted Brown of Clear Creek County showed maps of increasing beetle infestation in his area. Brown is concerned that his county could see a heavily increasing infestation that could effect water supply and increase fire damage in Clear Creek, Gilpin, and other front range counties. Citing the work of NWCOG, Brown wondered if a similar organization would be helpful in his neck of the forest.

 

The task force welcomed first timer Bryan Burr of Mountain West Helicopters who shared his unique perspective and experience with the forest health industry. Burr reports that low level flights over the western slope reveal a forest that in wilderness areas is predominately red.   

 

The Mountain Pine Beetle Task Force, sponsored by the Greenlands Reserve Land Trust, meets on the first and third Thursday of each month at the Lake Dillon Best Western Inn in Frisco. The next meeting is November 16th, the public is encouraged to attend.