Ritter seeks forest-health funds

Posted by egable on September 16th, 2008 filed in Forests, Fire

Gov. Bill Ritter (D) has asked the federal government to free up millions of dollars to help fight the pine beetle epidemic, prevent wildfires and pay for other healthy-forest initiatives in Colorado .

In a Sept. 11 letter to Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer, Ritter asks the department to award up to three long-term, 10-year forest-restoration contracts to private vendors in Colorado. The department currently awards only short-term stewardship contracts, but Colorado’s new Forest Health Advisory Council says vendors require the stability of longer-term contracts.

The governor’s letter follows passage of Senate Joint Resolution 08-010, sponsored by state Sen. Dan Gibbs (D) and state Rep. Christine Scanlan (D), which requests that the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Colorado State Forest Service work together to identify and implement up to three long-term stewardship contracts.