Q2: Tell us about how your agency is taking action towards the Colorado Forest Health Council’s 30-year vision, and what do you need from those of us in the room to get there?

Christina Burri (CSFS): 

CSFS is doing lots toward the 30-Year Vision. A few examples of how CSFS staff improve landscapes, tell the story of forest management, and use science to inform decision making: 

• 18 boots-on-the-ground field offices proactively manage forests and fight fires. 
• GIS staff are tracking accomplishments, linking project data into bigger picture efforts like the Forest Tracker, and using data to tell the story of forest management. 
• Forest health staff are doing aerial surveys to help understand the health of the forest.
• Program staff are working on biomass utilization, watershed program, Good Neighbor Authority program, and more. 

What CSFS needs from folks attending Summit: Make sure that the challenges you face are communicated to decision-makers. One example is affordable housing. This is one of the root causes of workforce issues, yet may not be top of mind for a landowner focused on the impact of MPB on their favorite tree. It’s powerful for practitioners to provide input on the challenges they face. The folks on this leadership panel can be a conduit to share feedback. 

Alison Lerch (DNR): 

Much of DNR’s portfolio aligns with the 30-Year Vision, especially the Mindset and Culture Shift section. DNR’s mission is to manage and conserve Colorado’s natural resources for the benefit of people today and tomorrow. This includes balancing development, conservation, recreation, and more.

• One example of alignment/collaboration within DNR divisions: Colorado Water Conservation Board published a technical memo incorporating forest health considerations and projections for the Colorado Water Plan.  
• The first convening of the Mountain Pine Beetle Task Force was guided by the 30-Year Vision. Members were asked, how can this Task Force help make sure that the work of this Task Force will align with the Vision?. 
• COSWAP works with Conservation Youth Corps and the Department of Corrections Swift Crews. How can we continue to boost up our young and youth workforce to stay in the state to do conservation work?
• DNR, CSFS, and the Division of Fire Prevention and Control are coordinating to ensure that investments are strategic and focused. 

Words of inspiration: We need everyone to continue contributing to the 30-Year Vision. A tough drought and wildfire year causes stress on forests and watersheds, and also on us. Take a step back when tasks feel impossible. Lean into your partners. We have a lot of really good plans. It can be a little overwhelming, but they are a guide when you feel stuck. We’re all in this together.

Dayle Funka (USFS): 

The USFS and the Gunnison Ranger District are in alignment with the 30-Year Vision through active forest management: timber operations, fuels reduction, watershed health, recreation management.

• Challenges: Workforce housing, cost of living, and pipeline issues. Folks aren’t going into this line of work anymore. You’re not going to get rich working for a land management agency. How do we create conditions so Western Colorado University students can stay in Gunnison?
• The Gunnison Ranger District has done a lot of timber production in past years, but the ‘low hanging fruit areas’ have been logged. Things don’t grow in Colorado like they do in Oregon. Need for forest products industry, not just recreation tourism industry. We need a diverse industry.
• One of the biggest needs is educating the local community to create a pipeline of young, innovative, tenacious workforce.

Q3, an audience submission: Is it realistic to manage mountain pine beetle at a landscape scale? Are there any recommendations coming out of the MPB Task Force that might be relevant to this kind of concern?

Christina Burri (CSFS): 

• One of the MPB discussion groups in the Colorado Cafe talked about what transition looks like after the pine beetle occurs and what those opportunities look like. It was a hopeful discussion.
• There is a scenario where proactive management ahead of a mountain pine beetle outbreak can be successful. There are also scenarios where the outbreak happens and then we manage for recovery. There are many different scenarios; in any case, we all work together on managing threats before, during, and after. 

At the time of Summit, the MPB Task Force had not yet released any recommendations. Instead, Christina pointed attendees to the MPB Task Force webpage and noted that each meeting has an opportunity for public comment.

Since Summit, the MPB Task Force released draft recommendations. At time of writing, these are under review, but are expected to be finalized and voted on by the end of the year.

Alison Lerch (DNR): 

The local engagement and public communications working group is having powerful conversations about this. Though the question is about landscape scale management, the outbreak is on a checkerboard landscape including a lot of private land. The Task Force is producing information for private landowners about how to deal with this problem immediately and in the future.

Q4: Public support and perception are key to funding and social license. People doing work on the ground (such as contractors and entry-level hand crews), often interact with members of the public that come across their work. We have some resources out there as a state – such as the new Mitigation Success Stories Hub, the Forest Trends Protect What Matters Campaign, or the Live Wildfire Ready campaign. What other resources are you aware of or that may help provide consistent messaging – including resources for folks doing the work on the ground, and recognizing that there are different types of audiences with different needs?

Alison Lerch (DNR): 

No matter what level you’re at, communication ultimately comes down to diving into the values that we’re trying to protect through forest management. Colorado Water Conservation Board’s Statewide Post-Wildfire Susceptibility Analysis is a great resource to dive into why we do things for water. Messages about water tend to be really powerful.

Christina Burri (CSFS): 

The Colorado Forest Action Plan five-year review captured many success stories since 2020; it’s a great tool and resource. 

Dayle Funka (USFS): 

As an Agency Administrator on wildfires, Dayle does briefings every morning. She answers lots of questions: What are our objectives? What are our values at risk? What are the threats to firefighter safety? What wildfire fighting strategy are we using today? Ultimately, these questions all boil down to one thing: WHY? Why did we make that choice? What are we protecting? Why does it matter?

In communication, always lead with why you made that decision, why it matters. Examples of why we do forest management often include improving water quality/quantity, creating conditions for fire to move through the forest in a healthy way, or creating safe ingress and egress routes for wildland firefighters. Visuals can also help – take folks to managed parts of the forest and talk through what they see.

Q5, an audience submission. “State programs like COSWAP and program are grant programs many of us are familiar with, and they do a good job of encouraging projects to address multiple concerns. However, many of the co-benefits of wildfire risk reduction projects usually get lumped under forest health. Should these programs explicitly include climate change adaptation as a program goal? And if so, what does that look like and how does climate adaptation get balanced with wildfire risk reduction?” 

Christina Burri (CSFS): 

Adaptive silviculture is a priority for the CSFS Science and Data Division, when training new foresters, and as part of Colorado State University. CSFS has a few specific projects focusing on adaptive silviculture for climate resilience, researching treatment types, and understanding water benefits. 

Alison Lerch (DNR): 

Can COSWAP think about incorporating climate adaptation? Yes. The “Looking Ahead” section of the 5-year impact report explores how COSWAP can get better and adapt. Colorado Forest Restoration Institute is doing monitoring on our COSWAP programs to make sure that the program is adapting to emerging needs. 

Q6: One of the Colorado Cafe table discussions focused on forest carbon. An idea that arose was the concept of hosting a Colorado Carbon Collaborative. Is that something you envision the state could support? What are your initial thoughts and reactions to this idea? 

Christina Burri (CSFS): 

Yes. CSFS and DNR are doing a lot of work in this arena. The concept is good.

Dayle Funka (USFS): 

In Taylor Park, the Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) (note: this was a Summit field trip destination) Trail Creek timber sale is ongoing. One goal was to do something other than burning piles, such as biochar. There is a lot of momentum and innovation behind that. There is still a long way to get to a large-scale operation. But it would be really cool to do something different with the piles.