Efforts to Mitigate The Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic

Over the past decade more than 20 million acres of lodgepole pine forest in the Rocky Mountain states have been devastated by one of the largest infestations of mountain pine beetle in history. Choose Outdoors is working with a number of partners and state and federal agencies to help mitigate the catastrophic impact of the infestation. We are working to promote nationwide awareness of this natural disaster, which has a potential to fuel catastrophic wildfire that many experts consider might result in a "Katrina of the West".

The pine beetle epidemic has already severely affected the outdoor recreation industry in Colorado, the source of more than one trillion dollars of the state's gross domestic product. Campground, trail, ski area, snowmobile, hunting and fishing access are either at risk or have already been severely affected in the aftermath of the most severe mountain pine beetle epidemic the Rocky Mountain region in history. Choose Outdoors supports a wide range of recreation interests and believes that we must act now to address the increased safety hazards, restrictions on use, and potential damage to wildlife habitat that could result from the devastation brought by the bark beetle.

Among the major challenges in restoring large areas of beetle-killed forest to a healthy condition is utilizing the millions of board feet of standing dead timber. Thousands of acres of dead trees constitute an economic liability to the state of Colorado as well as a threat to public safety and the ecological health of Colorado's forests.

Choose Outdoors seeks to serve as a catalyst to encourage a greater degree of engagement, from grassroots volunteerism to focused federal agency support, to address this unprecedented forest health crisis. As a first step, Choose Outdoors has joined forces with New Earth Pellets and New Town Builders to utilize timber from beetle-killed wood suitable for heating homes and new home construction. By asking for wood products made from "Rocky Mountain Blue Stain Pine," homeowners and builders will be helping to reduce fire danger in Colorado forests while creating new 'green' jobs, However, there is a need for more science-based strategies for fuel reduction and forest restoration to ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy these forests. By working in collaboration, we believe we can tackle the economic and environmental challenges posed by bark beetle infestations successfully for the benefit of Coloradans and all who treasure America's public lands.

Incident Response to Mountain Pine Beetle Emergency