Small Acreage Management - Trees and Woodlands
Colorado has roughly 22 million acres of forest, of which 6.5 million are privately owned. We recommend that forest landowners take on the responsibility of managing their forests.
Top 5 Reasons to
Manage the Density of Your Forested Land
- Improve Forest Health – Well managed forests are more resistant to diseases and insect damage such as mountain pine beetle or dwarf mistletoe.
- Fire Safety – Thinning overstocked or high density forests will allow a potential high severity crown fire to drop to the ground as a low severity fire that can be suppressed more readily with less damaging effects to soil, water, and plant resources. Consider creating strategic “fuel breaks” or “defensible space” to protect your home and property.
- Wildlife Habitat – thinning overstocked or high density forests will allow sunlight and precipitation to reach the ground and encourage herbaceous cover, such as grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs, for birds and other wildlife to consume. Additionally, creating habitat for wildlife forage can make your garden safer from wildlife damage.
- Protect Water and Soil – healthy forests keep soils from eroding, and protect our water quality. The loss of vegetation caused by a wildfire will cause soils to erode and reduce the forest’s ability to retain snowpacks for a more sustained runoff in the spring and summer. Eroding soils can also pollute our water supply with sediments and excess nutrients.
- Save Money - the costs of preventing fire damage out-weigh the costs of fire suppression, property loss, and post-fire rehabilitation caused by a wildfire.
