Costs for reducing fuels in Colorado forest restoration projects, fire, fuel treatments, and ecological restoration

Abstract

costs for reducing fuels in colorado forest restoration projects dennis l. lynch1 and kurt mackes1 abstract—the costs to either mechanically remove or mechanically treat forest fuels are examined for various colorado sites. in the ponderosa pine and mixed conifer zones, no ideal treatment system exists yet for forest restoration through fuel reduction. each site requires its own ecological analysis. costs for forest restoration varies by ecological prescription, forest and terrain conditions, and market availability for potential products. in most cases, it may cost too much to remove material or treat areas. logging may be the most economical method if markets for products exist and processing facilities are nearby. introduction w hat does it cost to reduce fuels in forest restoration projects in colorado? our research discusses such costs at several locations across the state. a key objective of forest restoration is the reduction of the number of trees and other fuels on the site. an ecological prescription, written by a professional other than the authors, was used to direct each project studied and was specific to the forest type and fuel conditions on the site. in most cases, fuel materials in the form of logs, posts, poles, pulpwood, and chips were removed from the site to reduce fuel loading and achieve desired restorative effects. in a few cases, fuel arrangement was more of a problem than fuel loading and vegetation was mechanically processed and left on the site. …

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