By Jim Smith
SUN Columnist
The Archuleta County Weed and Pest Department, along with the CSU Extension Office, will offer the community a Property Management Workshop on March 27.
The workshop will be held at the CSU Extension office at 344 U.S. 84. Please preregister by calling the CSU Extension office at 264-5931 before March 18.
Presentations will include Chemical Modes of Action, Forest Health/Insects and Disease, Poisonous Plant ID and Animal Symptoms, Applicator and Public Safety, and Property Improvement Methods. Lunch will be served for a fee of $5. Please pre-register.
Bark beetles, and more
“Colorado’s forest health concerns are not limited to bark beetles in high-elevation forests. We face a broad spectrum of concerns that impact our mountains, plains and urban forests,” said Joe Duda, interim state forester and director of the Colorado State Forest Service.
“Only through sound forest management can we ensure that our future forests provide the resources and benefits that will meet the needs of current and future generations,” he said.
Each year, the Report on the Health of Colorado’s Forests (http://csfs.colostate.edu/pdfs/137233-ForestReport-12-www.pdf) provides information to the Colorado General Assembly and citizens of Colorado about the health and condition of forests across the state. The report provides figures and maps detailing major insect and disease concerns in the state, including bark beetles and invasive urban tree pests.
Spruce beetle impact
According to the report, for the first time in recent decades, the acreage impacted by spruce beetle surpassed that of the mountain pine beetle, with a total of 311,000 acres of active infestation mapped in 2012. Mountain pine beetle-impacted acreage declined for the fourth consecutive year, but the beetle continued to be active on 264,000 acres of ponderosa, lodgepole and limber pine forests.
This is the 12th consecutive year the CSFS has produced a report on the state of Colorado’s forests and actions it is taking to mitigate forest health concerns. The theme of this year’s report is “Forest Stewardship through Active Management,” with an emphasis on the link between healthy forests and forest management.
Aerial forest health survey
The principal source of information for the forest health report is the annual aerial forest health survey, a cooperative project between the CSFS and the Rocky Mountain Region of the USDA Forest Service. Other data sources include field inspections, CSFS contacts with forest landowners and special surveys designed to help ensure early detection of potentially invasive insect species.
Copies of the 2012 forest health report are available at CSFS district offices or online at the website, http://csfs.colostate.edu.
Colorado State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Colorado counties cooperating. CSU Extension programs are available to all without discrimination. No endorsement of products mentioned is intended nor is criticism implied of products not mentioned
Calendar
March 14 — Colorado Master Gardener Program, 9 p.m.
March 14 — Mountain View Homemakers, noon.
March 14 — 4-H Shooting Sports Program, 4 p.m.
March 14 — 4-H Poultry Program, 4 p.m.
March 15 — 4-H Wolf Creek Wonders Club, 2 p.m.
March 15 — 4-H Rabbit Project, 4 p.m.
March 18-20 — IFYE Student in Pagosa Springs.
March 18 — 4-H Food Preservation Project, 4 p.m.
March 18 — Back Country Horsemen, 5:30 p.m.
March 19 — 4-H Council, 6:30 p.m.
March 20 — Mountain High Garden Club, 10 a.m.
March 20 — 4-H Sports Fishing Project meeting, 4 p.m.
March 20 — Western Heritage Committee, 6 p.m.
March 21 — Colorado Master Gardener Program, 9 a.m.
March 21 — 4-H Shooting Sports, 4 p.m.
March 22 — 4-H Cake Decorating project meeting, 2 p.m.
March 22 — 4-H Cloverbuds program meeting, 2 p.m.
Check out the webpage at www.archuleta.colostate.edu for calendar events and information.
