Mountain Village to remove trees affected by beetle kill; work begins October 2
The Town of Mountain Village will soon begin proactive measures to address an outbreak of Douglas fir beetles that have reached concerning proportions in a pocket of Douglas fir trees adjacent to the Town shop area and the Meadows neighborhood.
Beginning October 2, the Town’s forestry department in collaboration with Telluride Ski and Golf (TSG) will begin mitigation work to remove 77 large Douglas fir trees located on land owned by both the Town and TSG near the Jurassic Trail.
The project will include removing infested trees, ground fuels, associated brush and nearby sapling trees to both reduce the chances of further infection while also improving overall forest health and reducing wildfire risks. Due to the slope the trees are located on, the project will include both on-the-ground work and helicopter use to clear the infested trees.
The Jurassic Trail will be closed for user safety when the helicopter is being used to remove trees. Signs will be posted on the trail and the Town will send out a notification through its ReadyOp system when helicopter use is anticipated.
The outbreak was first observed by the Town’s Forester Rodney Walters in July of 2023 and subsequent investigation showed that the beetles had reached epidemic proportions in several trees in the area. Walters worked with forestry experts, including Dr. Jason Sibold, to develop a management plan.
Town Council directed Walters to move forward with the mitigation plan understanding that a swift response was crucial. The work must be performed before snowfall begins this fall to prevent potential spread next season.
“Complete containment of this outbreak may not be possible; however, doing nothing would likely guarantee that the outbreak will continue to advance,” Siebold said. “A more realistic management goal would be to mitigate outbreak severity while maintaining some Douglas-fir trees on the landscape. Removing infested trees, in particular large-diameter trees that disproportionately contribute to beetle population growth, would decrease beetle populations and may allow smaller, less-susceptible Douglas-fir trees to survive.”
Walters indicated that the Town and the ski area will continue to monitor and address this issue as needed and plans to use MCH packets in the spring to repel beetles away from healthy trees.
For more information, please visit bit.ly/TMVforestry.
