Forest Stewardship Planning --- two project areas:
a. Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Custer County
A stand replacing wind event happened on Novemeber 13, 2011 in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.Thousands of acres were affected with sometimes 50-100 trees per acre down. See article on "The Night the Trees Died" .
b. Black Forest area of El Paso County
The Black Forest has been called a "Black Thicket." But it has notable large trees (see "New Champion Tree for Black Forest.") What is the future of the Black Forest?
a. Sangre de Cristo. This is a Community as well as Graduate Forestry Internship Project sponsored by Greenleaf, with the support of Custer County, BLM, and U. S. Forest Service. It is a continuation of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), with focus on the Sangres Region of Custer County.
b. Black Forest. This is a Community as well as Graduate Forestry Internship Project sponsored by Greenleaf, in coordination with the Colorado State Forest Service, Black Forest Fire Protection District, and Fire Marshall. It is a continuation and fulfillment of the Black Forest Community Wildfire Protection Plan.
See further details for students in the
“Sustainable Forestry Internship for 2012.” Also further details for volunteers are being developed . The first step if you are interested is to call Len Lankford at 719-783-4250.
BOTH PROJECTS involve research, mapping, database, analysis,
other work, and written report(s) towards completing an initial Forest
Stewardship Master Plan for the project area. It aims to egage woodland owners in all steps, in order to determine and implement appropriate forest protection and stewardship action on private lands.
The
following outline and other topics common to Forest Stewardship Plans are included.
Work will be organized and assigned and
as time allows, under the direction and joint work of Len Lankford, Forester:
Resource
assessment
Public
and private lands
i.Forest/ vegetative types, estimated volumes, species, ages,
and growth
ii.Wildfire incidence and sustainable vegetative/ silvicultural
management
iii.Landscape Neighborhoods, Access, and Watersheds analysis
iv.Wilderness area impact and ecological management
v.Division of Wildlife regarding wildlife management and hunting
vi.Impact of recreational uses
Public
lands— government agency information (US Forest Service, Colorado)
i.U. S. Forest Service management strategy and plans
ii.Colorado State Forest Service managed areas
Private
lands – County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) information
i.New work in GIS mapping / layers for Landscape Neighborhoods
ii.Conservation Easements (with San Isabel Land Protection Trust, Palmer Land Trust, or others)
iii.Small to large parcels analysis, including identifying managed
woodlands
iv.Survey private forest managers and foresters for input and
observations
Landowner
contacts
Survey
of woodland owner interests and motivations in target area
Provide
information/ education and way to respond
Seek
participation in the Master Plan and forestry implementation
Promote
forestry service jobs for Greenleaf and its contractor network, and for independent, associated, and related businesses in the County
Determine
interest for and viability of timber sales versus cost project
Local
industry capacity
Survey
of forestry service providers
Survey
of wood mills and manufacturers – products and capacities
Retail
sales outlets
Other
markets
Survey of industry and landowner interest in cooperative business
4. Initial
written Master Plan, including Action Plan and preparation of a public
presentation. Goal is to have a draft
report using all available information by the end of the first summer season of this project. Project will continue several years.
