Colorado: Hazard tree removal along major highways

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Roadside logging is under way in the Colorado high country, as the Forest Service partners with CDOT to remove hazard trees along key highways.

Logging to continue into autumn

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Travelers in the Colorado high country may encounter a few delays and lane closures as the Forest Service and CDOT partner to clear beetle-killed trees from along major highways.

“Ensuring these major transportation corridors are clear of dead trees is certainly critical to keeping people safe and traffic flowing,” said Cal Wettstein, Rocky Mountain region incident commander for the Forest Service.

Work has already started along I-70 in Summit County and motorists can expect to see more tree removal along US Highway 40 over Berthoud Pass and State Hwy. 125. The dead trees pose a threat to public safety as they weaken over time and may fall without warning along these popular transportation routes. (more…)

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Forests: Red, dead needles burn faster

Posted on July 22, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Researchers continue to pinpoint the fire risk associated with beetle-killed trees.

New study helps quantify ignition time of beetle-killed trees

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Chemical changes in pine attacked by bark beetles start as soon as two weeks after the bugs start to burrow under the bark and make the trees more prone to ignition.

Overall, beetle-killed trees in the early and mid-stages of infestation may pose a greater risk of fast-spreading crown fires, though other factors are also important, including the structure of the tree, the presence or absence of ground and ladder fuels and terrain and weather. (more…)

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Summit County: Sections of recpath to close for tree work

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Short closures enhance public safety

Summit County.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Some sections of the recpath will be closed intermittently the next few weeks as crews remove hazard trees that could fall down across the path.

“This work is critical to maintaining a safe facility,” said Brad Eckert, Open Space and Trails Resource Specialist.  “We thank the Recpath and natural surface trail users for their patience during these operations.”

The work is scheduled to begin May 21 and continue for approximately 3 weeks.  A Cut Above Forestry will complete the work on behalf of the County. (more…)

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Experts surprised by intense fires in beetle-killed stands

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Montana wildfire observations will increase understanding of fire behavior in changing Western forests

The Saddle Complex fire burned so intensely that it created its own weather, which further fueled the fire. PHOTO COURTESY MAGGIE MILLIGAN.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Fire experts said they were surprised by the intensity of a pair of fires that burned in Montana this summer during less-than-extreme fire weather. The fire moved through areas of beetle-killed lodgepole faster than some previous fire modeling suggested.

The rapid spread of the two fires was probably the result of a perfect mix of fuels, including recent  beetle-killed lodgepole pine with flammable red needles, stands of older beetle-kill in the gray stage. Live trees and an a full-grown understory that provided ladder fuels.

The observations could help experts gain a better understanding of how fires will behave in beetle-killed forests. Some previous fire observations, in Yellowstone, for example, suggested that pure stands of dead gray-stage lodgepoles could actually slow the spread of a blaze, and some fire modeling has also suggested that the gray trees are not as susceptible to fire. (more…)

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Summit County: Tree-clearing to begin on Peaks Trail

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Forest Service continues hazard tree removal

A tree-felling crew from Buena Vista gathers at the North Tenmile Creek trail before setting out to cut hazardous trees.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — The popular Peaks Trail, between Frisco and Breckenridge, and the Gold Hill Trail are next up for hazard tree removal, with work set to begin Oct. 5.

The work is expected to continue through October and November or as long as weather permits. The contractor will work Monday through Friday each week, but will not operate on weekends.

Operations on the Peaks Trail will occur between the south trailhead on Ski Hill Road near Breckenridge to the Second Avenue Trailhead in Frisco. Operations on the Gold Hill Trail will occur between the trailhead located at the intersection of Colorado Highway 9 and Gateway Drive. (CR 950) and continue to the intersection with the Peaks Trail.  (more…)

Filed under: Forest health, forests, pine beetles and wildfires, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, US Forest Service | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

White River NF chief visits forest health task force

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

The scale of the beetle-kill in Summit County is evident in this picture, from the trees along the shore of Dillon Reservoir to high up the slopes of the Ten Mile Range. Click on the image for the full-size view.

Fitzwilliams to discuss forest health plans at Jan. 13 meeting in Frisco

SUMMIT COUNTY — White River National Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams isn’t afraid to talk about ecosystem restoration on a landscape scale. One of his recent initiatives includes a project in the Roaring Fork Valley that includes re-introducing fire to the landscape as a way of improving wildlife habitat.

Fitzwilliams will share his vision of a healthy, sustainable forest at the Jan.13 meeting of the forest health task force, set for 7:30 a.m. at the Frisco Community Center.

As the featured speaker, Fitzwilliams will lead a discussion about ongoing and planned initiatives to improve the condition of a forest devastated by a bark beetle infestation that has already destroyed three million acres of lodgepole pine trees in the state. He will  emphasize the role of public-private partnerships in addressing the increased risk of catastrophic wildfire due to high fuel loading both in the backcountry and its adjacent wildland-urban interface. (more…)

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Summit County: Another crack at biofuel?

Posted on October 16, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

A gasification achematic from theU.S. Department of Energy.

Gasification of wood chips may provide clean, affordable power for community facilities

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY —A Littleton-based company says it may have a partial solution to Summit County’s ever-growing piles of slash and woodchips.

Community Power Corporation (CPC) builds modular gasification units that convert wood chips and other biomass into fuel to generate electricity without a lot of emissions, and next week, the company will meet with Summit County officials to figure out if there are some community facilities that could benefit from the system. (more…)

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Summit County eco-events: Blue stain and home brews

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

Beetle-killed wood is piling up in Summit County. What to do? Find out at the Oct. 14 Eco Forum.

Local eco-events, with useful info and a good time at the Blue Knight forum (Oct. 14) and the Brew Ha Ha fundraiser for the High Country Conservation Center, Oct. 15 at Alpine Earth Center in Silverthorne

SUMMIT COUNTY — The question of commercial uses for beetle-killed, blue-stain timber is once again the topic of discussion locally, as the nonprofit Blue Knight Group hosts a meeting tonight (Oct. 14) at Copper Mountain to discuss business strategies revolving around supply chain management. The hope is to create a combined business entity with multiple stakeholders develop channels for the promotion, sales and use of beetle-kill timber from a six-county area in Colorado. (more…)

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Summit County: USFS seals several logging deals

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

More forest health and hazard tree removal is scheduled for Summit County.

Key subdivisions set for tree removal projects targeted by community wildfire protection plan

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — The U.S. Forest Service has sealed deals for several forest stewardship and hazard tree projects in Summit and Eagle counties, including a key stewardship contract for work the Frisco Peninsula, the Meadow Creek trailhead, Salt Lick, Lake Hill (between I-70 and the Dillon Dam Road), Wildernest, Mesa Cortina, Ruby Ranch, Three Peaks/Eagles Nest, Pebble Creek and Sierra Bosque.

The price tag for the the work, covering 1,396 acres, is $1.4 million —  or about $1,000 per acre. The work should be done in the next two years.

Additionally, the agency has contracted for hazard tree removal work along 31 miles of Forest Service roads, including Spring Creek (FSR 23), Lower Spring Creek (FSR 1832), First Cut Across (FSR 1833), Elliot Ridge (FSR 1834) and Keystone Gulch (FSR 175).

The public can expect delays and potentially short term road closures this fall and throughout next summer. Project activity and road closure information will be posted on the White River National Forest web site as needed.

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Summit County: More hazard tree logging

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

A couple of trees knocked over by winds lay across a spur trail in the Old Dillon Reservoir area.

Popular local roads and trails affected; Forest Service asking people to stay away

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Hikers beware — Forest Service timber crews will working to clear hazard trees from along popular trails and roads the next few days. The agency is asking people to stay away while the tree-felling is in progress.

Here’s a list of the affected trails:
Tenderfoot
Meadow Creek
North Tenmile

Roads:
Spruce Creek
Crystal Creek
Frey Gulch
Rock Island
Prospect Hill Road
Brush Creek

“We ask that forest users avoid these areas so that our crews can make the most efficient use of their time,” said Dillon District Ranger Jan Cutts. ”All forest users should expect delays when encountering tree felling operations. We ask for continued cooperation to ensure both public safety and that of our crews.”

The operations will continue indefinitely depending on crew availability. Hazard trees located within 110 percent of the height of the tallest tree from the edge of the trail or road will be felled. Felling operations are expected to run between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. The above trails and roads were identified as a priority because of the high amount of use.

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