Black Forest Together
Forest Recovery Symposium
Black Forest Area
Overview
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Opening Remarks, Chris Bailey
BFT Forest Recovery Plan Chris Bailey and Tom Gustin
CSU Extension Replanting How-to: Mark Platten
• Break
Wildfire Presentation: Scott MacDonald
Forest Recovery: A Conservation Approach Len Lankford
Forest Recovery
Governing Principles
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Serve the needs of the Black Forest community
Operate transparently
Uphold community values and respect private property rights
Consider, respect, and incorporate all viewpoints into decision
making processes
• Provide opportunities and information; let landowners, operators,
Black Forest Area
and the market do the rest
Symposium Participation Rules
• THE SYMPOSIUM SERIES WILL BE:
• An organization of working groups that will develop solutions to forest recovery
challenges
• A TEAM of community and regional problem solvers
• A forum for providing productive, respectful inputs that inform recovery solutions
• THE SYMPOSIUM SERIES WILL NOT BE:
• A forum for people with agendas that do not match symposium agenda
• A forum characterized by negativity or close-minded viewpoints
• A Black Forest business stimulus program
Black Forest Recovery Partners
Coordination Status
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Colorado State Forest
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CSU Extension Office
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Coalition for the Upper South Platte (CUSP)
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Weyerhaeuser, Inc .
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Colorado Governor’s Task Force on Wildfire Insurance and Forest
Health
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El Paso County Commissioners
Colorado State Senator Kent Lambert
Colorado State Representative Amy Stephens
U.S. Congressman Doug Lamborn
U.S. Sen Mark Udall
U.S. Sen Michael Bennet
Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper
Black Forest Area
Organizational Strategy
• Administer program initially through Black Forest Together
501(C)(3)
• Existing board of directors, org structure, website,
volunteers
• Hire program director in early 2014
• Finalize plan, conduct initial 40-acre grant projects
• Transition to independent entity w/in 1 year
Initial Start-up Requirements
Cost
Hire Forest Recovery Director
$50-75,000
Administer Program & Upgrade
Website
$25,000
Black Forest Recovery Goals
1. Revitalize burn area—remove dead trees when/where
appropriate and replant trees, shrubs, grasses
2. Mitigate and revitalize the 63,000-acre Black Forest area to
prevent future destructive fires and recreate healthy forest
Forest
Area in the
Challenge Create a recovery process that Black
will be
a model
west; drive recovery and revitalization of the forest by reducing
costs and efforts associated with forest mitigation, dead tree
removal, and replanting
Yearly Goal: drive recovery for 10% of Black Forest small
acreage properties (5 acres or less)—2,000 acres, total
What does “revitalized landscape” mean to you?
Black Forest Area
Black Forest Fire
• Black Forest area: approximately
62,000
acres
• Median Per Capita Income: $41,000
(citydata.com)
• Majority of properties are 5 acres or
less
Total Black Forest Acreage (need forested)
62,342
Total Acreage Damaged or Destroyed
3,335
8,426
Total Properties Damaged or Destroyed
1,889
Total Acreage Destroyed
Total Acreage, Parcels with 5 Acres or Less
Total Acreage, Parcels 5 Acres or Less
Damaged/Destroyed
El Paso County Data
Plan Focus
19,014
2,200
A Forest Recovery and Fuel Reduction Model
…citizens,
government, and business working toward a common goal
Coordinate community, government, and market participation
mechanisms to overcome the barriers that have hamstrung recovery
and prevention efforts throughout the west
Two Lines of Effort
1. Reduce forest recovery and fuel reduction costs by maximizing
supply chain efficiency
2. Incentivize coordinated landowner participation to create
economies of scale, strengthen unity of effort, and harness
community commitment
Coalition for the Upper South Platte (CUSP) operates a highly successful program with
similar components. CUSP leadership has been very helpful in developing this plan
Emphasis of the strategy is to maximize the value of funds
spent to recover the Black Forest and prevent future
destructive wildfires
Overview of Forest Recovery
Strategy Lines of Effort
1. Directly reduce forest recovery and fuel reduction costs
• Analyze supply chain for cost reduction opportunities
• Facilitate forestry operator cost reduction initiatives
2. Incentivize coordinated landowner participation
Black Forest Area
• Build 40-acre consolidation program
• Obtain grants/offsets for 40-acre consolidations
• Aggressively promote, advertise, build awareness
• Continue symposiums, recovery workshops
• Reduce effort required to mitigate & replant
• Curbside slash pick-up/mastication
Categories are interdependent but economics will drive recovery
success. Goal: reduce landowner recovery costs to $1,000 per acre
Potential Cost Reduction
Initiatives – 30-40% Cost Reduction
1. Locate processing equipment in BF – Under Study
• Operate tub grinder at central site in BF to serve contractors
• Reduce costs associated with hauling & disposing of slash
• Existing public site does not serve contractors
2. Establish log sorting yard to reduce transportation costs for operators
and increase supply reliability for buyers – Under Study
• Operate site on either public or private property
3. Achieve economies of scale through landowner consolidation - Go
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Forestry Operators members bid on blocks
4. Coordinate & consolidate seed/seedling/tree planting program - Go
Each of these initiatives helps maximize the value of
contributions for recovery and fuel reduction projects.
Incentivize Coordinated
Landowner Participation
• BF Landowners coordinate to achieve lower costs on
menu of tree removal options—service-based cost levels
Available: Feb-March
• 40-acre consolidations achieve economies of scale for
operators—drive 15-30% reduction in costs
• Avoid equipment load/unload requirements
Consolidation
Example:
5-Acre Properties
• Administer program through BFT website
• Landowners sign up on website – contractors bid
• Facilitates landowner coordination, consolidation of
properties
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Integrate government/corporate grants & equipment
into program to directly offset costs
1 Mile
• Pursue 2-3 large block grants/pilot projects (40-acre min)
• CUSP assist, county-FEMA, State Grant
Contiguous/adjacent
properties not a
requirement
40-acre
consolidations are key to recovery model—basis for
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direct cost reductions and grant/offset applications
What about Replanting?
Data points:
• A healthy forest will have approximately 40 trees per
acre
• It will take 60 to 80 trees planted to achieve 40 trees
• Cost per seedling is approximately $1 when bought in
bulk
• 8000+ acres destroyed x 80 seedlings x 1$ = $640,000!
Not realistic…yet.
• Waldo Canyon planted 6000 trees last year
• Mitigating factors: Manpower, cost, experience,
weather, water…
What about grass seed?
Black Forest Together Goal: 10,000 trees in 2014 –How ?
Black Forest and Replanting
Several avenues of “attack” culminating in 1-3
community events
1. Identify need/demand for trees and seed – Sign up on BFT
Website in Feb-Apr
2. Get the trees/seedlings – 60/40 split
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60% from Donor Program
40% from Donations/Fundraising – CS Conservation Program
2. Educate the “masses” how to plant / transplant
• Colorado State Extension and Colorado State Forest
3. Black Forest and the Big Dig Days
• Dates TBD – Early May coinciding with tree delivery
• Volunteers – USAFA cadet wing, local churches, us!...
• All-day events throughout Black Forest
• Meet at TBD location and enjoy sponsor provided food and
drink
Additional Initiatives
• Long term replantig efforts: State BF Seedling Program
• Determine feasibility of curbside slash pick-up program,
similar to program in Rockrimmon area of Colorado Springs—
under study.
Back-up Slides
How can you help?
1. Identify risks in the plan and
corresponding mitigation measures
2. Highlight requirements for additional
information and assist with
organizational expertise
3. Assist us in obtaining funding for startup of the organization
4. Commit to partnering with us and
supporting our initiatives
Cost Worksheet
Achieving Tree Removal and Mitigation Cost
Reductions
Current Average Cost Per Acre*
Yearly
Totals:
2,000
Acres
$3500
$7.0M
- Direct Cost Reduction Initiatives
- $700
$1.4M
- 40-Acre Consolidation Economies of Scale
- $800
$1.6M
- $1000
$2.0M
- 40-Acre Grants/Subsidization
$3M/
43%
57%
Per-Acre Landowner Cost Goal
$1,000
$2.0M
* Costs per acre vary depending on level/type of service
Cost reductions maximize value of landowner/grant investments.
Considerations for Reducing Forest Recovery Costs
Mitigation & Tree Removal
Replanting
Homeowner/
Landowner
Homeowner/
Landowner
Tree/Slash
Removal
Tree/Seed
Acquisition
Transportation
Transportation
Processing
Prep/Planting
Transportation
Follow-on Care
Market
Considerations for Reducing
Forest Recovery Costs
Homeowner/
Landowner
Tree/Slash
Removal
Labor-Intensive vs.
Mechanized
Transportation
Processing
Sawmill/Processing Mill
Chipper/Tub Grinder, etc.
Transportation
Market
Power Plant Biomass
Forest Products
TASK: Develop
partnerships to build
economies of scale
Cost Factors
Labor
Equipment
Transportation
Operating Location
Risks
Regulation
Market dissolution
Unknown factors
Potential Ponderosa
Pine Markets
Timber Processing
*Slash Processing
Dimensional Lumber
Landscape Mulch
OSB/Plywood, etc.
Erosion Control
Peeled Poles/Logs
Stove Pellets
Shavings/Stove Pellets
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Find/develop vendors to market products and alleviate
timber and slash loads
* Black Forest Slash/Mulch operates a volunteer slash processing program in conjunction with El Paso
County and a contractor who operates a tub grinder at a county-owned site.
Black Forest Together Dec 7th
Forest Recovery Symposium
Black Forest Area
Overview
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Opening Remarks, Chris Bailey
Hat Trick Project and Hayman Fire Before-and-After, Chuck Dennis
Update on MVEA Hazard Tree Removal Project – Dr. Judy von Ahlefeldt
Report on Forest Recovery Plan: Tree Removal/Mitigation Components Chris Bailey
Potential Forest Recovery Grants – Mark Platten, CSU Extension
Break 10 Min
Panel Discussion plus Q&A : How We Will Reduce Replanting Costs for
Landowners: Tom Gustin and Panelists
Stakeholders—we need you!
• Citizen: Private Landowners, Land Managers, Homeowner
Association Representatives
• Commercial Contractors: Arborists/Tree & Debris Removal,
Forest Products, Builders, other...
• Insurance Companies: State Insurance Agency, United
Policyholders
• Government/Legislators: County, State, Federal Agencies. State
Black Forest Area
Congressional Members