The Colorado State Forest Service and the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, both part of Colorado State University, have compiled data and designed a new dashboard to make information about forest management available to the public. The Colorado Forest Tracker will inform strategies for improving forest health and reducing wildfire risk, and policymakers can use it to help guide funding decisions to best meet state needs.
The tracker is a new central database and reporting system that records completed forest management activities throughout Colorado. This new tool is the first of its kind in Colorado, delivering comprehensive information about forest management accomplishments to policymakers, foresters, land managers, firefighters, researchers and all Coloradans in one location.
“The Colorado Forest Tracker is a key tool to inform Coloradans where vital investments have been made to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health on all land ownerships in Colorado,” said Dan Gibbs, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. “This unique resource gives state and federal land managers as well as local forest collaboratives and municipalities a broad view of the completed forest health and wildfire reduction projects from a large landscape to a local community scale. They can then ensure we have the right resources going to the right projects to protect life, property and critical infrastructure.”
The Colorado Forest Tracker includes data across federal, state, local and private lands. Access to this data across different land ownership types on one map is a new opportunity that can improve strategic planning.
“Seeing what activities have been completed will help practitioners make better use of funds by strategically planning future activities that capitalize on the work that’s already been accomplished,” said Amanda West Fordham, associate director of science and data at the CSFS. “It also provides an invaluable tool to wildland firefighting as incident management teams seek historical fuel treatment data for active wildfire management.”
