DENVER — The Colorado State Forest Service and the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, housed at Colorado State University, have recently launched an online database designed to help Coloradans understand forest management activities across the state.
The Colorado Forest Tracker uses federal, state, and local data to create a user-friendly online database. The tool informs people of activities like where trees and bushes have been cut down, prescribed burns, along with where trees are being planted.
"It's been a really big effort to collect data from all these various sources and try and standardize it so we can understand it, more apples to apples. That's how you really learn what's happening and improve what's happening and communicate a common message across Colorado, so we can work better together," said Brett Wolk, associate director with the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute at CSU.
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Data in the tracker has been compiled from 2000 to 2023, with forestry activities documented in 51 of Colorado's 64 counties. Wolk explained that knowing this information can help people plan and prepare before a fire starts through mitigation efforts.
"Eighty percent of the counties in Colorado have some forest management going on in there, so there are trees out on the Eastern Plains and throughout all of Colorado. It matters and it's important, and that's important to know what's happening throughout the state," said Wolk.
The tracker can help people understand forest management efforts not only in their neighborhood but also in their favorite areas to recreate. Wolk hopes this will teach people about the forest management activities across the state, which can be visualized on one map.
"We've tracked about 1.5 million acres of activities across the state and over that same time period, roughly 4 million acres have burned in wildfires," said Wolk. "So it's really important to be strategic with where we're doing our intentional management, so that we can really change the outcomes of those wildfires."
Data is being collected for forest canopy management, forest surface management, prescribed fire, and restoration activities. A link can be found here on how to submit.
