Colorado Statewide Forest Resource Assessment

Owner Low Moderate High Very High TotalUSFS 5,280,057 2,307,319 2,250,772 1,452,260 11,290,408BLM 1,253,727 2,497,214 292,158 207,293 4,250,392NPS 121,213 155,075 67,342 44,516 388,146USFWS 4,514 4,818 812 1,868 12,012DOD 6,337 40,652 1,572 530 49,090Federal-Other 2,906 3,588 242 251 6,988State 205,547 246,158 68,199 46,441 566,346Tribal 216,527 155,285 14,965 15,483 402,259Local Govt. 61,329 36,987 33,231 22,757 154,304Private 2,718,381 3,142,656 667,532 509,589 7,038,158Total 9,870,538 8,589,752 3,396,824 2,300,988 24,158,103Table 8b – Wildfire Intensity by Forest Ownership/Management (acres)Data Gaps• Need consistent fi re reporting data for all jurisdictions across the state.• Need updated LANDFIRE data on the current condition of Colorado’slodgepole pine forests.• Need a fuel model to help predict fi re behavior in the canopy of deadlodgepole pine forests.• Need a fi re susceptibility analysis for the Eastern Plains.Identify, Manage and Reduce Threats to Forest andEcosystem HealthIn addition to fi re, insects and disease, invasive species and climate changealso can cause unwanted impacts in Colorado’s forests. Although manyinsects and diseases are native to the state, underlying forest conditionscombined with climatic factors can cause them to operate at an intensity orscale that causes concern. Noxious weeds, such as tamarisk, cheat grassor meadow knapweed, however, are not native to Colorado’s forests andtheir presence serves to displace native species, alter hydrologic regimes,increase wildfi re risk and cause other damage within the ecosystem. Althoughthe extent of future climate change impacts is unknown, current trendsindicate the possibility for increased susceptibility to fi re, insects and disease,decreased forest cover at lower elevations and loss of habitat for some forestdependentspecies.Insect and Disease Overview: A number of insects and diseases regularlyimpact the condition of Colorado’s forests. Some are exotic, or introduced,but most are native and always present at endemic levels.Natural cycles of insect and disease activity are an important component ofa functioning forest ecosystem because they contribute to the diversity ofsizes, age classes and species types across the forest landscape. Forestinsects also provide food for wildlife and their activities can result in nesting,roosting and hunting sites for birds and other animals. They also can createoccasional small openings that increase growth of understory grasses andforbs. Insects of primary concern in Colorado include the mountain pinebeetle, spruce beetle, piñon ips beetle, western spruce budworm and balsambark beetle. Diseases of concern include dwarf mistletoe and armillaria root31