Submitted by Ryan Lockwood, Colorado State Forest Service
Northern & Northeastern CO
Fort Collins
With the scars of destructive 2018 wildfires still highly visible throughout Colorado, and affected families still working toward recovery, many in the state want to know what they can do to help. One way to have a positive impact on affected forests and communities is through the replanting of trees, which is the goal of the donor-driven Restoring Colorado’s Forests Fund.
Donations made to the Colorado State Forest Service-administered fund are used to provide seedlings for planting in areas impacted by wildfires, floods or other disasters, with an emphasis on areas critical to water protection, wildlife habitat and public benefit. Every $2 donation to the fund purchases one seedling, at no cost to the landowner. Since the CSFS established the program in 2003, its nursery has used program funds to provide more than 122,000 trees.
“Planting trees provides an important means to help stabilize soils, protect water supplies and restore the landscape as we address the long-term recovery of our communities and forests,” said Mike Lester, state forester and CSFS director.
The CSFS nursery in Fort Collins grows all the seedling trees for the program, to ensure that only those best adapted to local conditions are used for restoration efforts.
This year, the CSFS received an $11,000 donation to the Restoring Colorado’s Forests Fund from the Girl Scouts of Colorado, in honor of the organization’s volunteers. The donation, which represents the second large contribution from GSCO in the last two years, is intended to amplify the organization’s impacts toward reforestation efforts in Colorado.
“In recognition of all the amazing things that our volunteers do, we chose the gift of trees that will also have a lasting and positive impact by helping to restore forested areas in our beautiful state,” said Girl Scouts of Colorado President and CEO Stephanie A. Foote.
The CSFS and Girl Scouts of Colorado continue building on a partnership largely intended to help youth gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of trees and forests in Colorado. As part of this effort, in June CSFS staff partnered with GSCO to help educate hundreds of Girl Scouts and their parents about forestry, the environment and related careers at a World Environment Day event at the Meadow Mountain Ranch near Allenspark.
In the past decade, the Restoring Colorado’s Forests Fund has used donations from individuals and organizations like GSCO for replanting efforts, in locations that include the burn scars of the High Park Fire west of Fort Collins, the Waldo Canyon Fire near Colorado Springs and the Weber Fire near Durango. Following those fires, the loss of trees and other vegetation led to significant runoff and erosion – resulting in damaged hillsides, polluted waterways, highway closures and road damage.
The CSFS has intentionally delayed providing trees from the fund for replanting efforts this year, to allow time to first evaluate natural recovery from the 2018 fires. Over the fall and winter, after seeing how burned areas have recovered, the CSFS will assess applications from affected landowners and provide trees to recipients early in 2020.
To make a donation directly to the Restoring Colorado’s Forests Fund, visit https://advancing.colostate.edu/RestoringColoradosForests.
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The Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) provides professional forestry assistance, wildfire mitigation expertise and outreach and education to help landowners and communities achieve their forest management goals. The CSFS is a service and outreach agency of the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University and provides staffing for the Division of Forestry within the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. For more information, visit csfs.colostate.edu.
Girl Scouts of Colorado is 32,000 strong—more than 22,000 girls and 10,000 adults who believe in the power of every G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ to change the world. Our extraordinary journey began more than 100 years ago with the original G.I.R.L., Juliette Gordon “Daisy” Low. On March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Ga., she organized the very first Girl Scout troop, and every year since, we’ve honored her vision and legacy, building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. We’re the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. Girl Scouts offers every girl a chance to practice a lifetime of leadership, adventure, and success. To volunteer, reconnect, donate, or join, visit www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org.