FEBRUARY 12, 2015 BY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 9, 2015
Contact: Sarah B. Jones, Yampa Valley Sustainability Council, sarah@yvsc.org
Keith Wood, Colorado State Forest Service, keith.wood@colostate.edu
(Steamboat Springs, CO) – The Yampa Valley Sustainability Council (YVSC) has received a $2,000 grant from the Colorado Tree Coalition (CTC) for their ReTree Steamboat 2015 event. Routt County has more than a million forested acres, and about 350,000 of them have been affected by the mountain pine beetle epidemic, killing nearly all of the mature lodgepole pine trees in the region. The epidemic has impacted watersheds, timber production, wildlife habitat, recreation and scenic vistas.
The annual ReTree Steamboat event, which began in 2010, aims not only to replace trees killed by the mountain pine beetle epidemic but also to plant site-specific native species that will help increase the diversity, structure, health and resilience of Routt County forests. Since the event’s inception, YVSC has engaged more than 2,000 volunteers to plant and care for 21,190 trees.
In 2015, thanks to the generous support of the Colorado Tree Coalition and other group and individual supporters, YVSC plans to engage 300 volunteers (youth and adults) to plant and care for approximately 800 site-specific native tree species at three locations in Routt County.
ReTree Steamboat is different from other tree-planting events because of the emphasis on community forestry and the engagement of volunteers of all ages in the ongoing protection and care of this valuable natural resource. Youth and adult volunteers establish an appreciation for the forests, learn first-hand about scientific monitoring practices and receive a sense of satisfaction as they become intimately involved in the establishment and care of trees in their communities.
Thanks to on-going financial and administrative support from the USDA Forest Service and the Colorado State Forest Service, dues-paying members, and financial partners, the Colorado Tree Coalition (CTC) has awarded 468 grants totaling more than $754,000 since 1991. These grants have been matched with more than $7.6 million in community money and/or time. As a result of these grants, more than 69,670 trees have been planted throughout the state of Colorado.
