Have you lost trees to the bark beetle? Need to plant some different tree varieties? Are there open patches on your property you'd like to fill in with trees and shrubs? Has excavation exposed your land to water and wind erosion? Has use of your property changed and you need to restore it to forest?
If situations similar to these apply to your acreage, there's a tree program that might give you a hand.
It's long-term. The trees are seedlings. Evergreen varieties are 4 to 12 inches tall. But they come at a nominal cost. If you can give them some care for two or three years, while they become established, you'll soon see a new forest on the way.
The seedling trees are grown by the Colorado State Forest Service, an element of Colorado State University, at their nursery in Fort Collins. They have grown these seedlings for many years, producing millions of plants that have grown into mature trees throughout the state. Jefferson County 4-H Clubs have helped the Forest Service distribute these trees in this area for more than 30 years. They will be doing it again in 2008.
The Colorado State Forest Service makes these seedling trees available to landowners for various kinds of conservation projects, including reforestation. To quallify for the program a person must own at least two acres of land. The trees are not for landscaping purposes and cannot be resold.
More than 40 varieties of shrubs and trees, both deciduous and conifer, are available. They come in lots of 30 or 50, depending on variety. They cost from $.72 to $1.60 per tree, again depending upon variety and whether the tree is sold bare-root or as a potted plant.
Jeffco 4-H is currently taking orders for trees to be planted this spring. Buyers will pick up their trees at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in mid-April.
This program will be the subject of a workshop offered by the Colorado State Forest Service on Thursday, Jan. 24. It will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Golden District Office of the Forest Service at 1504 Quaker St., north from South Golden Road.
A brochure describing the seedling tree program is also available from CSU Extension in Jefferson County at 303-271-6620.