Colorado Statewide Forest Resource Assessment

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III. Overview of Colorado’s Forests 7With its diverse mix of coniferous and deciduous species, Colorado’s forestedlandscape is, perhaps, one of the most complex of any in the IntermountainWest. The basis for this vegetation mosaic is a physical landscape thatranges from plains and high plateaus to steep mountains, deep canyons andsloping foothills. A wide range of topographic, soil and growing conditionsfurther infl uences this variety and contributes to the state’s multi-faceted forestresources.Responsibility for the stewardship of approximately two-thirds of Colorado’sforests lies primarily with federal land management agencies. Privateand other non-federal landowners control one-third of the state’s forests.Historically, human use of the forest has been constant, ranging fromsubsistence gathering to harvesting for mining and railroad industries, andmanagement for wildlife habitat, drinking water and recreation. Growingpopulations, urban development and climate change pose new anddemanding challenges for today’s forest managers.Colorado’s Forest TypesForests and woodlands cover 24.4 million acres in Colorado. 8 Within theseforested landscapes are several different tree species, the majority of whichare coniferous or cone-bearing trees rather than deciduous trees thatseasonally shed their leaves. For the purposes of this report, Colorado’sprimary forest species have been grouped into nine forest types described onthe following pages, which are based on the dominant overstory vegetation(Helm 1998). The distribution of these forest types across the landscape isdetermined by factors such as climate, soil, elevation, aspect and disturbancehistory (Rogers et al. 2000). In terms of overall acreage across the state, thelargest forest types in Colorado are aspen (21 percent), piñon-juniper (21percent) and spruce-fi r (19 percent). The mixed-conifer and oak shrublandtypes account for 10 percent each, followed by ponderosa pine (8 percent)and lodgepole pine (7 percent). Montane riparian (4 percent) and plainsriparian (1 percent) represent the smallest forested acreages.7Much of the information contained in this section is adapted from the annual forest health reports produced by theColorado State Forest Service, particularly the 2001 Report on the Condition of Colorado’s Forests. The 2001-2008reports are available online at http://csfs.colostate.edu/pages/pub-csfs2.html.8This number and the statistics that follow are based on the definition of forest vegetation that was established for thisreport, which includes piñon-juniper, oak shrublands and riparian forests, in addition to more traditional forest types. Allanalyses regarding these vegetation types are based on LANDFIRE vegetation data as described in Appendix B – DataMethods and Sources available at http://csfs.colostate.edu/pages/statewide-forest-assessment.html6
Map 1 – Forest Types in ColoradoForest TypeAcresSpruce-Fir 4,571,066Lodgepole 1,662,750Aspen 5,065,277Mixed Conifer 1,783,740Ponderosa Pine 2,527,660Montane Riparian 934,666Piñon-Juniper 5,177,926Oak Shrubland 2,365,998Plains Riparian 246,493Introduced Riparian Vegetation 116,899Total 24,452,476Table 1 – Forest Acreage by Type7
Page 1 and 2: Colorado Statewide ForestResource A
Page 3: Table of ContentsI. Executive Summa
Page 6 and 7: II.BackgroundThe Colorado Statewide
Page 8 and 9: National Guidance for Statewide For
Page 12 and 13: Spruce-Fir 9Spruce-fi r is among th
Page 14 and 15: Mixed Conifer 14The mixed conifer f
Page 16 and 17: Oak ShrublandsOak shrublands cover
Page 18 and 19: Windbreaks, shelterbelts and their
Page 20 and 21: Owner Spruce-Fir Lodgepole Aspen Mi
Page 22 and 23: forest management costs per acre ha
Page 24 and 25: include standard ownership data and
Page 26 and 27: The second metric is an estimate of
Page 28 and 29: Map 4 - Colorado Forest Legacy Area
Page 30 and 31: NATIONAL THEME: Protect Forests fro
Page 32 and 33: Map 7 - Wildland Fire Susceptibilit
Page 34 and 35: Map 8 - Wildland Fire Intensity Ind
Page 36 and 37: ot (CSFS 2001 and 2002). Some insec
Page 38 and 39: Map 10 - Insect and Disease Mitigat
Page 40 and 41: is legally mandated, as well as dal
Page 42 and 43: change, including species extinctio
Page 44 and 45: transport of materi als that can ad
Page 46 and 47: Map 15 - Post-Fire Erosion RiskMap
Page 48 and 49: environment, many homes and other s
Page 50 and 51: Owner 0.5 mile 1 mile 2 mile TotalU
Page 52 and 53: Map 18 - Wildland-Urban Interface w
Page 54 and 55: Map 20 - Wildland-Urban Interface w
Page 56 and 57: They also are important partners in
Page 58 and 59: Forest TypeAcres for Wood Products
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of fragmentation to help forest man
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Forest Type Low Moderate High Very
Page 64 and 65:
Map 25 - Important Habitat for Econ
Page 66 and 67:
ACRESImp. Habitat for Econ.Imp. Spe
Page 68 and 69:
Forest Type Low Moderate High Very
Page 70 and 71:
Map 28 - Community Forestry Opportu
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Enhance Public Benefits from Trees
Page 78 and 79:
VI. ReferencesAlexander, K. [Intern
Page 80 and 81:
Neely, B., Comer, P., Moritz, C., L
Page 82 and 83:
VII. Statewide Assessment Steering
Page 84 and 85:
APPENDIX A - Colorado Statewide For
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• Identify and conserve high prio
Page 88 and 89:
assessments and resource strategies
Page 90 and 91:
National Theme: Protect Forests fro
Page 92 and 93:
Protect, conserve, and enhance wild
Page 94:
States are encouraged to draw from
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Colorado Statewide Forest Resource Assessment

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