Black Forest Together Forest Recovery Symposium

Black Forest Together Forest Recovery Symposium

Black Forest Area

Overview •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

Black Forest Area

• 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,

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

Black Forest Area

Coordination Status

Colorado State Forest

CSU Extension Office

Coalition for the Upper South Platte (CUSP)

Weyerhaeuser, Inc .

Colorado Governor’s Task Force on Wildfire Insurance and Forest Health

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

Organizational Strategy

Initial Start-up Requirements Cost

Hire Forest Recovery Director $50-75,000

Administer Program & Upgrade Website

$25,000

• 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

Black Forest Recovery Goals

Black Forest Area

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

Challenge Create a recovery process that will be a model in the 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 (city- data.com)• Majority of properties are 5 acres or less

Total Black Forest Acreage (need forested) 62,342

Total Acreage Destroyed 3,335

Total Acreage Damaged or Destroyed 8,426

Total Properties Damaged or Destroyed 1,889

Total Acreage, Parcels with 5 Acres or Less 19,014Total Acreage, Parcels 5 Acres or Less Damaged/Destroyed 2,200El Paso County Data

Plan Focus

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 planEmphasis 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

Black Forest Area

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 • 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

•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

• Administer program through BFT website• Landowners sign up on website – contractors bid• Facilitates landowner coordination, consolidation of properties

•Integrate government/corporate grants & equipment into program to directly offset costs

 • Pursue 2-3 large block grants/pilot projects (40-acre min)• CUSP assist, county-FEMA, State Grant

•

1 Mile

ConsolidationExample:

5-Acre Properties

40-acre consolidations are key to recovery model—basis for direct cost reductions and grant/offset applications

Contiguous/adjacent properties not a

requirement

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

• 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 start-up of the organization

4.Commit to partnering with us and supporting our initiatives

Cost Worksheet 

Achieving Tree Removal and Mitigation Cost Reductions

Yearly Totals:2,000 Acres

Current Average Cost Per Acre* $3500 $7.0M

- Direct Cost Reduction Initiatives - $700 $1.4M

- 40-Acre Consolidation Economies of Scale - $800 $1.6M

- 40-Acre Grants/Subsidization - $1000 $2.0M

Per-Acre Landowner Cost Goal $1,000 $2.0M

* Costs per acre vary depending on level/type of service

$3M/43%

57%

Cost reductions maximize value of landowner/grant investments.

Considerations for Reducing Forest Recovery Costs Mitigation & Tree Removal Replanting

TASK: Develop partnerships to build economies of scale

Cost Factors Labor Equipment Transportation Operating Location

Risks Regulation Market dissolution Unknown factors

Labor-Intensive vs.Mechanized

Considerations for Reducing Forest Recovery Costs

Potential Ponderosa Pine Markets

* 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.

Timber Processing *Slash Processing

Dimensional Lumber Landscape Mulch

OSB/Plywood, etc. Erosion Control

Peeled Poles/Logs Stove Pellets

Shavings/Stove Pellets

• Find/develop vendors to market products and alleviate timber and slash loads

Black Forest Together Dec 7th Forest Recovery Symposium

Black Forest Area

Overview •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!

Black Forest Area

• 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 Congressional Members