The MPB is a Bark Beetle that carries a fungus. When a beetle moves from one Pine tree to another it infects the tree with this fungus. The fungus is actually what kills the tree in anywhere from 2 – 5 years.

A healthy forest has the ability to resist the MPB and the fungus to a point. Our forests in Colorado are not healthy. They are over populated with the same species of tree that are about the same age because of the devastation in the early 1900’s.

There are approximately 3.5 Million Acres inside the state boundaries that are at some level of infection, death, or falling over. About 70% of the land in the state are public lands or owned by some governmental agency, i.e. USFS, CSFS, BLM… Of that, about 60-70% are designated “No Road” or “No Travel” areas and are protected.

Thousands of Acres

Why not just cut down the trees?

The dead trees have no real value as lumber. Due to the blue color of the fungus in the wood the graders at the mills drop the value of the wood at least one grade, this reduces the value of the wood and the margins for the mills and anyone else handling the wood. This is one of the primary reasons most of the mills in Colorado have closed. It is also one of the reasons for the lack of forest management. When the forest service opens a stewardship of land for bid nobody’s going to bid on wood they can’t make a profit on. Another related problem is the lack of a means of disposal. The trees can’t be piled and burned; the rural landfills are full and are not accepting logs or chipped wood anymore. In summary, there is no way to dispose of the trees efficiently and economically if they are cut down. This is the primary reason we, the BKG, are advocating a Bio-mass industry in the Colorado High country.

What are the environmental impacts?

There has been minimal activity related to firebreaks and forest management for a very long time. These 3.5 Million acres of dead trees are no longer converting carbon monoxide to oxygen. The decaying trees are actually putting off methane gases into the atmosphere, and providing the largest fire threat in Colorado’s history. One lightning strike or a careless camper under the right conditions (depending on your perspective we could say “the wrong conditions”) could cause the largest and most costly forest fire in the history of the United States.

The Hayman Fire June 8, 2002, charred 215 square miles and destroyed 600 buildings, nearly all within the Upper South Platte River watershed. It burned hot enough to melt the earth into a crust that repelled water. Topsoil washed into the rivers and reservoirs after the fire causing the Cheesman and Strontia Springs reservoirs, in Waterton Canyon, to fill with run-off sediments, rocks, and debris. Rapid spring thaws or heavy rains produce turbid water with high alkaline levels that must be diverted from the reservoirs or they become useless. Denver Water has invested millions of dollars in developing the capability to divert or filter the alkaline rich waters from these two reservoirs. Cheesman Reservoir stores about 26 billion gallons, enough to supply more than 158,000 households for a year. Strontia Springs holds about 23 million gallons, enough for 16,000 households for a year.

Who is working on the problem?

There are at multiple public and private organizations working on the issues the MPB has caused but these efforts have yet to develop a valid, comprehensive plan that identifies a solution to the problem short of natural selection. The forests are public, mostly managed by the USFS and other governmental agencies. Private businesses have a use for, want, and are willing to purchase the harvested trees.

The Grant process is horrific at best and requires a significant investment without a guarantee of award. Smaller organizations can’t afford to develop an “acceptable” proposal so they don’t get funding. The BKG is working on providing a centralized donation process much like the United Way. Like the United Way, the funds will be associated to projects and/or registered groups. Naturally, some criteria will be required for registration.

The Blue Knight Group was established in an effort to provide a unified platform for all of these organizations, along with governmental groups, to define, fund, and support a consolidated solution for our forests while providing an on-the-ground project development, planning, funding, and assistance program.

How can we best utilize the volumes of wood?

There are four ways to dispose of the wood, trade industry, firewood, decay, or Bio-mass. Allowing the trees to decay, whether standing or in a landfill creates all the environmental problems outlined. Firewood only provides for a minimal amount of wood usage. The trade industry is/has developed several uses for the “Blue Wood” products but again this is not going to handle the volume of the trees that need to be cut down. Bio-mass electric and heat generators consume large quantities of chipped wood and put off no pollutants. Utilizing the distributed power and heat generation methodology would offset the need for large investments in substations to meet a peak demand for the winter season. The Bio-mass option is the fastest way to dispose of the trees, as well as, off-set the peak requirements of the winter months in the high-country. Realistically, a combination of all four solutions is the best plan. That is why the BKG is focused on the five subject areas; job creation, alternative energy, public awareness, government agency collaboration, and environmental stewardships.