Gov. Ritter Seeks U.S. Aid for Colorado Forests

Press Release

Gov. Bill Ritter today thanked U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for providing $40 million for emergency hazardous tree removal in beetle-stricken Rocky Mountain forests and asked the Secretary to support long-term forest health initiatives moving forward.

Gov. Ritter, in Washington for the National Governors Association annual winter conference, met with Vilsack, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and other Western governors to discuss how Colorado and the Forest Service can continue collaborating on restoring forests throughout the state.

"I want to commend the Obama Administration and Secretary Vilsack for emphasizing a collaborative approach to restoring our forests," Ritter said. "Wildfire, insects, disease, and climate change pay no attention to who owns which land. We can't either if we are going to succeed in passing on to our children healthier and more resilient state and national forests."

Ritter noted that the $40 million recently allocated for hazardous tree removal in the region this year -- $30 million of which will be spent in Colorado -- will only fund the most urgently needed hazardous tree removal work. The Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Regional Office estimates additional projects worth $55 million will be needed in fiscal year 2011. An ongoing emergency assessment by a Forest Service National Incident Management Team also may result in additional recommendations.

Meanwhile, support is still needed for other forest health efforts in Colorado, such as thinning work on an estimated 1.5 million acres of overgrown Front Range forests.

Gov. Ritter told Vilsack he hopes continued funding for new Forest Service programs, such as the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, can aid ongoing collaborative efforts along the Front Range and on the Uncompahgre Plateau.

A reinvigorated Colorado wood products industry, the Governor said, will be key to reducing the cost of treating this many acres.

The Governor praised Vilsack for supporting longer-term forest management pilots, such as 10-year Stewardship Contracts on four Front Range forests that are supporting timber industry jobs and providing a reliable supply for emerging forest product markets like biomass power generation.

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