To combat catastrophic wildfire, degraded forest health, and disappearing wildlife habitat, we are restoring forests back to a functional state.
What is the Healthy Forest Initiative?
The Healthy Forest Initiative is a joint effort between the Big Thompson Conservation District and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to bring the knowledge, technical experience, and funding to private landowners for restoration activities on their forest land. This collaborative approach to private land management addresses multiple resource concerns on the Front Range including wildfire hazards, water quality, erosion control, wildlife diversity, and many more. Through the NRCS and The Farm Bill, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) helps subsidize the costs of restorative efforts on private land. Even though many restoration projects already occur on federal land, approximately 75% of forested acreage is privately owned, requiring additional effort and focus on private lands to achieve broad-scale effects.
The philosophy of the Conservation District and NRCS is to restore forests to their historical state prior to human influence. Since the mid-1800s, human influence on forestland has resulted in forests that are very different than those prior to settlement. In general, tree densities have increased and forests have become more uniform in age, species type, and structure (less variety in meadows, streams, etc.). As a result, diversity in our forest habitats has declined over time. Since wildlife species require a variety of habitat types to thrive, forest diversity is critical to the success of wildlife populations. Insects and diseases can kill an entire forest when the trees do not reflect historical conditions. In addition, our highly dense forests lead to intense wildfires that travel far and wide, impacting human lives.
By restoring our forests to a state that is more representative of how they were structured over 100 years ago, our forest land will have higher degrees of resilience to wildfire, bugs and diseases, and droughts or floods. When creating a forest improvement plan, we consider all of these ecosystem impacts to ensure we’re providing an all-inclusive and ecology-based management plan.
The Big Thompson Conservation District has a dedicated Conservation Forester that can help you determine if you are a good candidate for the program.
The Healthy Forest Initiative is a joint effort between the Big Thompson Conservation District and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to bring the knowledge, technical experience, and funding to private landowners for restoration activities on their forest land. This collaborative approach to private land management addresses multiple resource concerns on the Front Range including wildfire hazards, water quality, erosion control, wildlife diversity, and many more. Through the NRCS and The Farm Bill, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) helps subsidize the costs of restorative efforts on private land. Even though many restoration projects already occur on federal land, approximately 75% of forested acreage is privately owned, requiring additional effort and focus on private lands to achieve broad-scale effects.
The philosophy of the Conservation District and NRCS is to restore forests to their historical state prior to human influence. Since the mid-1800s, human influence on forestland has resulted in forests that are very different than those prior to settlement. In general, tree densities have increased and forests have become more uniform in age, species type, and structure (less variety in meadows, streams, etc.). As a result, diversity in our forest habitats has declined over time. Since wildlife species require a variety of habitat types to thrive, forest diversity is critical to the success of wildlife populations. Insects and diseases can kill an entire forest when the trees do not reflect historical conditions. In addition, our highly dense forests lead to intense wildfires that travel far and wide, impacting human lives.
By restoring our forests to a state that is more representative of how they were structured over 100 years ago, our forest land will have higher degrees of resilience to wildfire, bugs and diseases, and droughts or floods. When creating a forest improvement plan, we consider all of these ecosystem impacts to ensure we’re providing an all-inclusive and ecology-based management plan.
The Big Thompson Conservation District has a dedicated Conservation Forester that can help you determine if you are a good candidate for the program.
Healthy Colorado Front Range Forests should have many Tree-Less Openings
What does a naturally-functioning forest look like?
When you visit a restored or naturally healthy Ponderosa Pine forest, you’ll notice that tree densities are perhaps a lot lower than what you’re used to seeing in the Front Range of Colorado. There will be many tree-less openings up to a few acres in size. These openings will have a healthy grass, forb, and shrub population and will help support wildlife browsing and livestock grazing in the area. The trees will make up an uneven-aged, patchy mosaic of canopy cover, with some trees existing in groups of 2-5, with other individual trees remaining solitary. Healthy Ponderosa Pine forests look this way because historically, fire played a major role in these ecosystems. Historically, low-intensity surface fires were a part of the Big Thompson watershed every 5-25 years. While rarely burning mature trees, these low-intensity fires move through the understory burning grasses, shrubs, small trees, and any accumulated fuel such as needles and fallen branches.
Today, much of the ponderosa pine forest in the Big Thompson watershed barely resembles its historic structure. As a consequence, wildfires have become much greater in intensity and severity, often burning thousands of acres of whole trees. These crown fires do not restore the forest to its historic function, and instead have devastating effects on the landscape (soil quality, air quality, water quality, wildlife habitat, etc.). The Big Thompson Conservation District’s Healthy Forest Initiative aims to mimic a characteristically historical disturbance such as fire with mechanical treatment. This can help restore the forest to its historically functioning state. After treatment, if a fire were to come through a treated area, those acres would be more likely to lower fire intensities and allow existing trees and structures to survive. Additionally, healthy wildlife habitat and soil, air, and water quality can be maintained.
Check out our Projects page for pictures and additional information.
When you visit a restored or naturally healthy Ponderosa Pine forest, you’ll notice that tree densities are perhaps a lot lower than what you’re used to seeing in the Front Range of Colorado. There will be many tree-less openings up to a few acres in size. These openings will have a healthy grass, forb, and shrub population and will help support wildlife browsing and livestock grazing in the area. The trees will make up an uneven-aged, patchy mosaic of canopy cover, with some trees existing in groups of 2-5, with other individual trees remaining solitary. Healthy Ponderosa Pine forests look this way because historically, fire played a major role in these ecosystems. Historically, low-intensity surface fires were a part of the Big Thompson watershed every 5-25 years. While rarely burning mature trees, these low-intensity fires move through the understory burning grasses, shrubs, small trees, and any accumulated fuel such as needles and fallen branches.
Today, much of the ponderosa pine forest in the Big Thompson watershed barely resembles its historic structure. As a consequence, wildfires have become much greater in intensity and severity, often burning thousands of acres of whole trees. These crown fires do not restore the forest to its historic function, and instead have devastating effects on the landscape (soil quality, air quality, water quality, wildlife habitat, etc.). The Big Thompson Conservation District’s Healthy Forest Initiative aims to mimic a characteristically historical disturbance such as fire with mechanical treatment. This can help restore the forest to its historically functioning state. After treatment, if a fire were to come through a treated area, those acres would be more likely to lower fire intensities and allow existing trees and structures to survive. Additionally, healthy wildlife habitat and soil, air, and water quality can be maintained.
Check out our Projects page for pictures and additional information.
Log landing at MacGregor Ranch
Forest restoration’s benefit to the local economy
Hiring local logging companies to complete forest restoration projects contributes to the local economy. Healthy Forest Initiative projects can be used as educational demonstration sites and encourage similar future projects throughout Larimer County and Colorado – further benefiting the larger landscape and community.
Wood products from our forests also represent an economic opportunity as they are sold back into the community. This log landing will be restored and monitored for weeds in the coming years to ensure that the logging equipment does not have a negative effect on the land and soil. This photograph shows a log landing at MacGregor Ranch where the logger brings trees to process into saw-logs, wood chips, and other products.
Hiring local logging companies to complete forest restoration projects contributes to the local economy. Healthy Forest Initiative projects can be used as educational demonstration sites and encourage similar future projects throughout Larimer County and Colorado – further benefiting the larger landscape and community.
Wood products from our forests also represent an economic opportunity as they are sold back into the community. This log landing will be restored and monitored for weeds in the coming years to ensure that the logging equipment does not have a negative effect on the land and soil. This photograph shows a log landing at MacGregor Ranch where the logger brings trees to process into saw-logs, wood chips, and other products.