A two-day workshop on Wolf Creek Pass this weekend will focus on how communities in Southwest Colorado may be affected by changing forests, and what local forest managers can do to prepare.
“What we’re hoping to discuss this year is where do we go from here, and what does forest management look like into the future?” said Aaron Kimble of the Mountain Studies Institute.
The area in question over Wolf Creek Pass, both in Rio Grande and San Juan national forest districts, creates a complicated scenario for forestry officials tasked with drafting a plan for future management.
In 2013, a wildfire ripped through more than 110,000 acres, intensified by low humidity, strong winds and an area almost entirely covered with trees killed by invasive beetles.
“All this led to some pretty amazing fire behavior,” said Rio Grande Forest Service spokesman Mike Blakeman. “But how would it have been different if trees were alive versus beetle kill?”
The question now for forestry managers is how to move forward while at the same time preserving resources the community holds dear. There’s no clear answer, Kimble said, and what emerges is a tangled web of possible scenarios.
Kimble rattled off just a few question land managers face, which will be discussed during the workshop this weekend:
“What kind of changes might we see in our forests?What management tools do we use? How do we as communities begin to think through the role of fire on the landscape? Do we use prescribed fires or do we manage wildfire when it occurs? And what’s the connection between forest health and water quality? “Those are really some of the big questions,” Kimble said.
The workshop will start at 4 p.m. Friday at the Wolf Creek Ski Area with a discussion about the state of the forest and the history of management practices, among other topics. A barbecue will follow.
From 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, land managers will lead a tour to explore current forest conditions and discuss potential changes to the forest, and how agencies are preparing.
The event, Bridging the Divide, is in its second year, and is organized by Mountain Studies Institute, Rio Grande Watershed Emergency Action Coordination Team, San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership, Southwest Firewise, Southern Rockies Fire Science Network and the Rio Grande and San Juan national forests.
To view the agenda and register for the event, visit www.sanjuanheadwaters.org.
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