More Trees Than Ever Are Standing Dead in Colorado Forests
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Annual survey estimates there are 834 million standing-dead trees, threatening watersheds and worsening risk of ruinous fires by Bruce Finley, The Denver Post
ne in 14 trees is dead in Colorado ers that unhealthy forests and wildfires forests and the number of gray- increasingly will affect people and water brown standing-dead trees has supplies. They distributed copies of their increased 30 percent since 2010 to 834 Report on the Health of Colorado’s Forests million, the state’s annual survey has found. in the state capitol. A Joint Agriculture and The dying trees — largely the result of Natural Resources Committee hearing they insect infestations — can lead to large hoped to attend was canceled. intense wildfires, such as the Beaver Creek “When so many trees die and large wildfire in 2016 that burned 38,000 acres north- fires follow, our forests quickly turn from a west of Walden, Colorado State Forest carbon sink into a carbon source,” state Service officials said in mid February as they forest service director Mike Lester said. unveiled the report. “Beyond the implications for our atmoThey’re planning to warn state lawmak- sphere, forests in poor health have implications for our water supplies, public s a f e t y, w i l d l i f e a n d r e c r e a t i o n opportunities.” Yet trees also are regenerating in the forests, Lester said. “That’s our new forest. Now, I would much rather have a new forest without 800 million dead trees standing all over it.”
Beef Reproduction Symposium, Union County Cooperative Extension Services April 4, 2017 Civic Center, Clayton, NM $25.00 registration fee (pay at the door) Please RSVP by March 24 th 9:30-9:50 9:50-10:00 10:00-10:30 10:30-11:00 11:00- 11:30 11:30-11:45 11:45-1:00 1:00-1:30 1:30-2:00 2:00-2:30 2:30- 3:00
Registration (donuts & coffee provided) Introductions Anatomy of the Bovine Reproductive Tract — Dr. Craig Gifford, NMSU Beef Cattle Specialist Estrous Cycle of a Cow — Dr. Craig Gifford, NMSU Beef Cattle Specialist Estrus Synchronization — Dr. Craig Gifford, NMSU Beef Cattle Specialist Questions Lunch (Catered) Reproductive Diseases — Dr. John Wenzel, NMSU Extension Veterinarian Beef Nutrition — Dr. Marcy Ward, NMSU Extension Livestock Specialist Body Conditioning Scoring — Whitney Brock, Union County Extension Agriculture Agent How Reproductive Management Pays — Dr. Paul Gutiérrez, Extension Agriculture Economics Specialist
New Mexico State University
All About Discovery!
This program is brought to you by Union County Extension Services. Please Contact Whitney Brock to RSVP ASAP at 575-374-9361 or 505-306-4966 New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity /affirmative action employer and educator. NMSU and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.
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Among the key findings: Colorado’s mountain pine beetle epidemic killed trees across 3.4 million acres The continuing spruce beetle epidemic has killed trees across 1.7 million acres About 80 percent of Colorado residents rely on forest watersheds for their municipal water supplies Climate models projecting statewide average temperature increases by 2.5 to 6.5 degrees before 2050 mean the risks of severe wildfires, insect infestations and droughts will worsen
The increase in dead trees “is just another piece of evidence the climate is changing and that it is having dramatic impacts,” said Ted Zukoski, attorney for the environmental advocacy group Earthjustice. “We need to take strong action to address it.” State forest officials say they will urge lawmakers to continue robust efforts to restore forest health. They advocate increased work to protect watersheds and manage the risk of catastrophic wildfires. They propose to plant more seedling trees as part of restoration projects. They also favor increased monitoring of forest health including insect detection and responses. Colorado Forest Service officials work in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, Denver Water, the Northern Water Conservancy District and Colorado Springs Utilities. They also work with communities statewide to develop wildfire protection plans.
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