About the Colorado Restoration Institute

Colorado Forests

Colorado has 23 million acres of forests, with federal lands comprising about 2/3 of the forested area. Over 200,000 private land owners control 6 million acres. Forest landscapes in Colorado are complex mosaics of forest types and ownerships, with nearly 1 million people living in the “red zone” area with high risk of catastrophic fires, largely as a result of unnatural changes in our forests.

Direct costs for fire suppression totaled over $200 million since 2000. The total cost of 500,000 burned acres is much greater than the suppression costs alone, including damaged forests, watersheds, communities, and lives. Declining forest health may decrease the diversity of species in Colorado forests, increase the risks of outbreaks of insects and diseases, and reduce the flow of rivers that provide water to all the states of the southwest. These issues led Congress to pass the Southwest Forest Health and Wildfire Prevention Act in 2004, authorizing establishment of forest restoration institutes in Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.

The Mission and Goal of the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute

The mission of the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute (CFRI) in the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University is to restore the health of Colorado forests and reduce catastrophic wildfires. Our goal is to provide the best-available science in forest ecology, restoration, and management, in ways that are readily usable by the diverse group of land managers in Colorado. CFRI helps federal, state, and private land owners develop and implement the strategies of the Healthy Forest Restoration Act, National Fire Plan, and the Forest Service’s Strategic Plan.

Developing Practical Scientific Solutions for Colorado

The CFRI approach to reversing declines in forest health and reducing wildfires builds on a collaborative framework to meet the needs of Colorado forests and people. We enhance the knowledge of land managers by developing accessible information in workshops, major reports, working papers, and field visits across the state. Community-based collaborative efforts are key.

We address critical gaps in scientific information with mission-focused research. We educate the next generation of forest managers and decision makers using the full resources of our College of Natural Resources and all its partners.

Dan Binkley, Director; (970) 491-6519
Bill Romme, Assoc. Director for Reserch; (970) 491-2870
Bob Sturtevant, Assoc. Director for Outreach; (970) 491-7598