What's in your Woods?
We are working on new content for this feature.Watch for more in 2016
Be a winner in the Wisest Woodcutter contest by choosing the most correct answers in "Whats in your Woods?" over the next year. See details.
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A Modest Proposal…
contributed by Colorado Tree Farmers
Whereas
- Many of the challenges to the health of our forests: wildfire, insect infestation, etc., are landscape in nature and will require an ongoing effort by a large majority of forest landowners to successfully reduce the damage being caused.
- There is a great deal of evidence that active forest management utilizing science-based methods is the most practical and effective way to improve the health of our forests.
- Currently only a small percentage of forest landowners consistently utilize the knowledge and expertise available to them.
- Whether you are a private landowner whose neighbor’s forest is an overgrown fire hazard infested with beetles or a consulting forester or contractor in business for yourself, it will benefit you to encourage more active forest management among the landowners with whom you come in contact.
- Forest landowners have diverse reasons for owning their property and different philosophies regarding the best ways to care for it and are therefore often difficult to reach, inspire and motivate.
- Motivating someone to change a behavior can take repeated delivery of a message in various interesting and entertaining forms in order to get results.
- Since it would directly benefit all of our readers to have a greater number of forest landowners engaged in actively managing their woods, and directly benefit those landowners who might be persuaded to start managing, and immediately improve the health of Colorado’s forests, we submit:
A Modest Proposal... for the New Year
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State Capitol Holiday Tree Honors Fallen Soldiers, Their Families
DENVER – This year’s State Capitol Holiday Tree, themed the "Gold Star Tree of Honor," pays tribute to the more than 350 Colorado military service members lost in the global war on terror since Sept. 11, 2001, as well as their families.
At 4 p.m. today, Gov. John Hickenlooper will dedicate the tree at a formal lighting ceremony in the Capitol’s North Foyer in honor of Gold Star families – the survivors of service members who have lost their lives in conflict or in support of certain military operations.
The Capitol’s holiday tree was provided for the fifth year in a row by the Colorado State Forest Service Fort Collins District. The approximately 50-year-old, 25-foot subalpine fir was harvested on State Trust Land in northern Larimer County.
Colorado National Guard soldiers and their families decorated the tree, and boughs trimmed off of it will be used by the DMVA to craft wreaths for Gold Star families in attendance.
Each year, CSFS foresters selectively cut the State Capitol Holiday Tree and smaller trees destined for the Colorado State University campus as part of ongoing management efforts to improve forest health. This year, the CSFS also harvested a small number of trees for the families of deployed military personnel.
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Land Stewardship Courses Available
The Land Stewardship Program will train interested residents and landowners to be knowledgeable and skilled land stewards. This 9-week course is designed for Colorado small acreage landowners and land managers (1-100 acres) and will provide participants with the necessary tools and skills to plan and implement cost-effective conservation management activities on the land. Utilizing local know-how and research-based information, participants will leave the course with their own customized management plan.
The Land Stewardship Program is presented by Colorado State University Extension, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, and partners helping landowners make informed management decisions to protect natural resources on private lands.
Program includes one hands-on field trip to be determined by the class, and a one-on-one field visit consultation with each participant on their property if desired.
Registration is $120 per property and includes educational material, snacks, one soil test per property, a field trip, and a one-on-one field visit consultation with each participant on their property if desired. Click here for more info and to register.
Contact Jennifer Cook with questions: Jennifer.cook@colostate.edu 303-659-7004 ext. 116
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the road, behind the green and white Tree Farm signs and we care about what's happening in our forests.