Tag: Drought

A shrinking ski season and impaired agriculture industry may be in Colorado's future, but a new report warns the state's preparations for climate change are disjointed and not nearly stringent enough.

The prescribed burn that roared out of control, claiming the lives of three nearby residents and scaring hundreds of others is just the beginning of what could be a frighteningly long fire season in Colorado.

Just a year after record snowfall throughout much of the Rocky Mountain West, the region is locked in a snow drought not seen since Jimmy Carter surrendered the White House to Ronald Reagan in the early 1980s. The record dry conditions have lawmakers and industry observers extremely concerned about looming water shortages and wildfire danger.

Colorado’s future looks extremely hot and dry if current climate trends continue, and the city of Boulder is being proactive in planning for more drought conditions, less water and a relatively crispy climate outlook all along the state’s Front Range in coming years.

The announcement late last week that three Colorado sawmills are being let out of pre-recession timber contracts with the U.S. Forest Service was met with relief from U.S. Sen. Mark Udall and skepticism among some in the conservation community who say the move will only have short-term impacts.

A bear that attacked a teenage camper in Twin Lakes earlier this month is among just a few that the Colorado Division of Wildlife has had to put down this year — a far cry from the last couple of years. Last year, wildlife officers killed 80 bears mostly due to hot, dry conditions that forced scores of the animals into urbanized areas in southeastern Colorado.

U.S. Colorado Senator Mark Udall today lauded the federal Small Business Administration for taking action to bolster businesses in the drought-stricken southwest region of the state. The office opened up low-interest disaster-relief loan program to ten Colorado counties. It's not just the agricultural sector that is struggling, Udall pointed out in a release, but also the tourism industry and businesses tied to farming, like seed producers and farm-machinery mechanics.

Concern about an early and potentially explosive wildfire season in Colorado has fanned the flames of debate over how far into the national forest crews should build temporary roads to clear trees and reduce the fuel load around towns. The release last week of another draft of the controversial Colorado Roadless Rule further fueled the controversy. The rule would allow temporary road building a half mile into the national forest surrounding communities and tree thinning without roads another mile into the forest.

Badly needed snowfall is expected in Colorado’s high country this week, but one expert says the state will need much more than the amount...

Tuesday’s announcement by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that the U.S. Forest Service is pumping $40 million more into coping with the ongoing pine bark...