Regional News

A new collaboration has Idaho ranchers and the BLM fighting fire together

Wednesday, 01 May 2013 12:54

A new collaboration has Idaho ranchers and the BLM fighting fire together (High Country News, April 29, 2013)

Colorado State University Names Mike Lester New State Forester

Tuesday, 26 March 2013 13:35

(Courtesy of CSU News and Information, Public Relations)

FORT COLLINS - Colorado State University today named Mike Lester the new state forester and director of the Colorado State Forest Service. As state forester, Lester will lead the CSFS to provide for the protection of Colorado's forest resources; ensure forestry education, outreach and technical assistance to private landowners; and carry out the duties of the Division of Forestry within the Colorado Department of Natural Resources.

The CSFS is a service and outreach agency of Colorado State University, and provides landowners with technical forestry assistance and outreach via 17 district offices located throughout Colorado.

Dead Forests Release Less Carbon Into Atmosphere Than Expected

Tuesday, 26 March 2013 13:31

(From UA News, March 22, 2013)

Billions of trees killed in the wake of mountain pine beetle infestations, ranging from Mexico to Alaska, have not resulted in a large spike in carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, contrary to predictions, a UA-led study has found.

Massive tree die-offs release less carbon into the atmosphere than previously thought, new research led by the University of Arizona suggests.

Across the world, trees are dying in increasing numbers, most likely in the wake of a climate changing toward drier and warmer conditions, scientists suspect. In western North America, outbreaks of mountain pine beetles (Dendroctonus ponderosae) have killed billions of trees from Mexico to Alaska over the last decade.

Given that large forested areas play crucial roles in taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere through photosynthesis and turning it into biomass, an important question is what happens to that stored carbon when large numbers of trees die.

Man transforms dead wood into eco-furniture

Tuesday, 12 March 2013 15:27

Corbin Clay found a sustainable use for wood destroyed by beetles, and his work won him $100,000 from Ketel One Vodka and GQ magazine.

Each year in the Rocky Mountains millions of acres of pinewood are ruined by beetles. All those dead trees pose a significant risk for forest fires. While most see that pinewood as useless, Corbin Clay, owner of Azure Furniture, has found a sustainable use for the beetle-kill pinewood. Clay uses that wood and his carpentry skills to create high-end furniture at his Colorado-based company.

Pine beetle hearing set for Hill City

Sunday, 10 July 2011 15:27

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands will hold an oversight field hearing, at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 10, at the Rafter J. Bar Ranch in Hill City.

Participating in the hearing will be Subcommittee Chair-man Rob Bishop of Utah and at-large member S.D. Representative Kristi Noem. Other witnesses may be announced.

Noem described the epidemic as a "slow motion disaster for the Black Hills National Forest and the region's economy."

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