The U.S. Forest Service scheduled a March 17 meeting to inform the public about the spruce beetle and the agency plan to increase active management of the insect, which has chewed its way through thousands of acres in Colorado.
Aerial surveys found 53,000 beetle-infested acres in the San Juan National Forest in 2014. The cumulative impact of the beetle on the forest since 1996 stands at 209,000 acres, said Laurie Swisher, a forester with U.S. Forest Service in Durango.
Acres infested in the five counties of Southwest Colorado were La Plata, 23,000; Archuleta, 40,000; Montezuma, 6,300; San Juan, 15,000; and Dolores, 22,000.
The purpose of the workshop is to give everyone a baseline understanding of the beetle problem. Tom Eager, with the Forest Service research center in Gunnison, will lead the discussion.
The workshop is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Vallecito Room in the Student Union at Fort Lewis College.
Kara Chadwick, San Juan National Forest supervisor; foresters; and resource specialists will be available for informal talks at 5:30 p.m.
daler@durangoherald.com
