by North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
A new state task force targets rising fire risk in Front Range forests near Northern Colorado communities
Colorado officials are ramping up wildfire mitigation and forest protection efforts as a growing mountain pine beetle outbreak threatens Front Range forests, including areas adjacent to Northern Colorado communities. The announcement came Monday, as Colorado State Forest Service experts joined Gov. Jared Polis to outline a coordinated response to reduce fire danger, protect watersheds, and safeguard infrastructure and recreation areas.
State Forester Matt McCombs said forests now showing increased beetle activity sit near some of Colorado’s most populated corridors and overlap with high wildfire-risk zones. These areas also protect critical watersheds and infrastructure and support outdoor recreation that plays a key role in the state’s economy and quality of life.
Following the announcement in Evergreen, Polis signed an executive order creating the Mountain Pine Beetle Ponderosa Outbreak Task Force. McCombs will co-chair the group alongside leaders from the Colorado Department of Natural Resources and the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control. The task force will bring together wildfire professionals, local governments, utilities, conservation groups, nonprofits, and representatives from housing, recreation, and timber industries.
Officials say recent aerial surveys by the Colorado State Forest Service show pockets of beetle activity that could expand quickly during warm, dry conditions. The warning comes as the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University reports one of the warmest Novembers on record, conditions that can accelerate the spread of beetles and heighten wildfire risk.
The new task force will focus on fuel reduction, watershed and utility protection, reforestation planning, and identifying productive uses for beetle-killed wood. Leaders emphasized that early, coordinated action is critical to preventing a repeat of past impacts.
In the early 2000s, mountain pine beetles devastated more than 3 million acres of lodgepole pine in northwestern Colorado. Beetle-killed timber later contributed to extreme fire behavior during the 2020 Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires. This outbreak is different, officials said, as the insects are now attacking ponderosa pine forests along the Front Range that largely escaped earlier epidemics.
Beetle-killed trees dry rapidly, shed needles, and eventually fall, creating heavy fuels that can drive intense wildfire behavior. Standing dead trees and accumulated downed timber also pose hazards to firefighters and recreators and can make suppression efforts more dangerous and less effective.
Colorado State Forest Service scientists are monitoring the outbreak through aerial surveys conducted with the U.S. Forest Service. The agency also supports state-funded programs that help communities reduce fuels, protect infrastructure, and prepare for wildfire conditions linked to insect outbreaks. More information about the mountain pine beetle and forest health resources is available through the Colorado State Forest Service.
Officials stressed that residents and communities also play a role. Property owners are encouraged to learn the signs of beetle infestation, support forest management tools such as thinning and prescribed fire, and invest in defensible space and home-hardening efforts.
The Colorado State Forest Service plans to release its 2025 Forest Health Report in March, detailing the latest outbreak locations and analysis.
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Attribution: Colorado State Forest Service, Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University.
