Gary Lindstrom

Does the State of Colorado have an official position on how to protect trees and property from the Pine Beetle, or a plan to reforest state land in the wake of the infestation?

I am not aware of any position or plan. You have to be aware that the state of Colorado virtually does not have any forests. They do have contracts with the US Forest Service for the removal of trees on federal land.

Are there any bills pending or being written to give local governments or private citizens resources to fight the infestation or recover from the effects?

I am cosponsoring a bill with Josh Penry of Grand Junction that will assist in the removal of trees and then encouraging the use of the removed trees in biofuels programs. The bill is modeled after what is going on in Summit County with the medical office building. Carly Weir of Summit recycling along with a group from the Bighorn Center wrote the bill. The funding will come from severance tax funds.

How do you see the environment and economy of Summit County changing in the wake of the Pine Beetle?

I don’t. I have lived here since 1974 and this is the third cycle of Pine Beetle that I have seen. It has never changed the environment or the economy. Pine Beetle is a naturally occurring event every seven years or so. With the increased density of population the blight appears to be worse than ever before. The only danger from my point of few is the standing dead trees, and the potential fire danger.

What do you feel is the best way for local homeowners and communities to protect their property?

There isn’t any way to protect their property from Pine Beetles. The brown trees we see today were infected a year or two ago. The next trees to be infected look green right now. It is virtually impossible to determine which trees should be removed. I would encourage property owners to remove dead trees to eliminate the fire hazard and then be prepared to remove any other trees that become infected. The Pine Beetles are long gone before the tree turns brown. Even experts can not tell which trees will get the beetle infection next.