Mountain Village to host Forestry Workshop Tuesday, May 30

On Tuesday, May 30, 2023 the Town of Mountain Village will host a Forestry Workshop for the community to attend to learn about the Town’s forest health and forestry programs.

The workshop will be held at the Mountain Village Town Hall Council Chambers at 6 p.m. on May 30.

Town Forester Rodney Walters will discuss the Town’s Forestry Program and be joined by guest speaker Jeff Rainey with the Colorado State Forest Service.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for the community to join us in a discussion about the Town’s forestry program, and incentive programs and talk with us about other forestry-related subjects such as forest benefits, tree and forest health, tree and forest types of Mountain Village, the importance of active forest management and much more,” Walters said.

“This conversation is sure to be informative and thought-provoking as we explore these different aspects of the trees that make the Town of Mountain Village and the surrounding area such a special place to live, work and play.”

In addition to hosting this workshop, Walters is hard at work protecting the Town’s trees and would like the community to be aware of two additional efforts.

To protect aspen saplings, five-foot-tall, light blue grow tubes are being installed over aspen saplings to protect them until they become tall enough to withstand elk grazing.

“If a community member sees these blue tubes throughout Town, please leave them be,” Walters said. “Aspen stands can be killed by elk and deer browsing and protecting these saplings helps ensure that the aspen stand can regenerate.”

Additionally, Walters has begun the distribution of MCH Douglas fir beetle repellent packets throughout Mountain Village. These packets are non-toxic and are intentionally secured to Douglas fir trees to protect them from beetles.

“Last year, 17 very mature Douglas fir trees died from Douglas fir beetle attacks,” Walters said. “Unfortunately freshly killed Douglas fir trees attract large numbers of beetles which can initiate a Douglas fir beetle epidemic. As a result, this spring the Town has been installing MCH pheromone packs to repel beetles. Although a bit smelly, the MCH packets are a non-toxic way to prevent tree death.”

For more information about the Forestry Workshop and the Town’s forestry programs, please visit the Town's forestry webpage.