Workshop Specifics:
Representatives from Boulder County, Gilpin County, US Forest Service, and
Colorado State Forest Service will help you learn about management strategies
that may help reduce the impacts mountain pine beetle and IPS bark beetles will
have on the trees in your backyard forest. Over the next decade beetle
populations are expected to continue to increase and it will be important for
private landowners to know what to do once beetles arrive in your backyard
forest. At this workshop you will be provided management strategies that may
reduce some impacts bark beetles will have on your pine trees.
Tentative Agenda:
Indoor Presentation (1-2 p.m.):
The workshop will begin at the Nederland Community Center at 1:00 PM. Keynote
speaker Jeff Witcosky, Entomologist from the US Forest Service, will present on
bark beetle ecology and predictions on the impacts bark beetles might have along
the Front Range.
Outdoor Demonstration Station Topics (2-5 p.m.):
Immediately following the indoor session we will carpool to the proposed
Nederland Community Forestry Sort Yard site where a parking attendant will
direct you inside the fenced Boulder County Transportation shop yard. We will
break into four smaller “tour” groups and rotate through four forestry
demonstration stations. At each station a brief presentation will be given
followed by question and answers.
Station #1: MPB and IPS beetle identification
At this station you will learn how to tell the difference between a tree that
has been infested by a mountain pine beetle vs. an ips beetle hit tree. You will
also learn how to determine if a beetle attack has been successful.
Station #2: What kind of tree is that? Which trees are at risk from bark
beetle attacks?
In Colorado we are lucky to have a variety of species of trees in our
backyards, but sometimes these trees can be hard to tell apart. At this station
you will learn how to identify the most commonly occurring trees in your
backyard forest. Once you get to know your trees you will be able to figure out
which trees are at risk from attack by bark beetles and also where different
species of trees prefer to grow.
Station # 3: My tree has been hit by bark beetles… What options do I have
available to sanitize/kill the beetle after I cut down the trees?
Just cutting down a bark beetle infested tree does not kill bark beetles.
Beetle infested trees need to be sanitized to kill the young beetles underneath
the bark. At this station you will learn several techniques that will help you
battle beetles in your forest. You will learn about solar treatment, debarking,
hauling to sort yards, and chipping.
Station # 4: Rigging, Yarding and Skidding for Backyard Forestry Operations
As many a logger will tell you, getting a tree on the ground is often the
easy part. The real scope of work lies in the logistical planning, labor,
equipment, and associated expenses to remove and process that tree long after it
hits the ground. Regardless of whether you're moving thousands of trees or just
a few in the backyard, many of the techniques and principals are the same. At
this station, professionals will discuss the equipment and techniques used in
forestry operations that are light on the land, labor saving, but still
affordable and appropriately scaled for small woodlot owners. Specific
discussion topics will include high lead yarding and skidding, pulleys and
blocks, ropes, knots and rigging, chokers, slings, hand arches, ATV arches, log
dogs, log tongs and more. |
