From Your Forest . . . For Your Forest

Colorado Department of Agriculture ▪ Colorado State Forest Service
Colorado State University ▪ USDA Forest Service
203 Forestry Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-5060
September 10,2004
Contact: Craig Jones at 303.263.6687
craigjo@lamar.colostate.edu


PARTNERSHIP LAUNCHES COLORADO FOREST PRODUCTS MARKETING INITIATIVE

Fort Collins—Coloradans have a voracious appetite for wood products, and more than 90 percent of those products are imported from other states or foreign countries. As a result, significant revenue is lost from Colorado’s economy to pay for this wood-product shortfall. Every year, tons of Colorado wood from fuels treatment projects are burned or chopped when it could be used for anything from furniture to fencing.

To encourage the development of markets and the use of Colorado wood, the Colorado State Forest Service, Colorado Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service and Colorado State University launched the Colorado Forest Products Marketing Initiative today at Golden Gate State Park. Part of the Colorado Proud program, the purpose of the initiative is to connect Colorado businesses and consumers, strengthen local economies, reduce wildfire hazard and improve the health of Colorado’s forests.

“Trees that are removed to reduce wildfire hazards and make forests healthier can be used to put more forest products from forest management projects into the Colorado wood products stream,” said Craig Jones, marketing and utilization forester, Colorado State Forest Service.

More than 2.4 million acres along the Front Range and 6.3 million acres of forested land throughout the state need to be treated. As the number of acres treated increases, the potential rise in the market share and demand for wood products from Colorado will improve significantly. Using local wood material also stimulates local businesses, community economics and the potential for entrepreneurs to succeed. In the long run, it also will help reduce the cost to implement forest restoration and fuels reduction work.

“Currently, many contractors and wood products producers are unable to break into the wood products marketplace,” Jones said. “Although forest communities and Colorado consumers demand firewood, fencing materials and specialty items, they often are not able to purchase them from local sources. Because of this marketing initiative, more local contractors and businesses will be able to market their products within Colorado. This will help create jobs and provide Coloradans with a choice to buy Colorado forest products.”

For more information about Colorado Forest Products or to learn what you can do to support Colorado forest businesses, visit www.coloradoforestproducts.org.


SIDEBAR

Some Revealing Statistics About Wood Use in Colorado
From Wood use in Colorado at the Turn of the Twenty First Century, by Denny Lynch and Kurt Mackes, 2001.

Colorado uses the following amount of wood products annually:
  • 1.047 billion board feet of lumber valued at $628.6 million
  • 791.24 million square feet of panels valued at $267.8 million
  • 60.75 million board feet of roundwood values at $62.3 million
  • 495,000 Christmas trees valued at $1.6 million
  • $32 million yearly of wood energy products (firewood, firelogs and pellets)
  • 1.4 million cubic yards of mulch/chips/sawdust valued at $14.2 million
  • $3.051 billion of value-added wood products (doors/cabinets/furniture)

In most cases, 90 percent to 100 percent of the materials were imported. Seven states and two countries (Canada and Mexico) are key exporters of wood products into Colorado

The State of Colorado's Forests
  • Colorado forests are experiencing serious forest health problems, which make them susceptible to catastrophic wildfire.
  • Forested areas at high risk to wildfire have been identified along the Front Range and throughout Colorado-2.4 million high-risk areas are on the Front Range and 6.3 million acres exist statewide.
  • Thinning and science-based restoration efforts can help restore normal ecological processes and mitigate wildfire risk.
  • Fire suppression costs, along with post-fire rehabilitation costs, damage to critical watersheds and infrastructure losses far exceed current vegetation management costs.
  • By utilizing some of the material from restoration and fuels reduction projects, we can improve forest health, reduce the risk of wildfire and reduce cost-per-acre for thinning.