Date: 08/10/2015
Final
West Fork Complex Fire Recovery and Forest Plan Revision
WATER RESOURCES REVIEW COMMITTEE
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03:50 PM -- West Fork Complex Fire Recovery and Forest Plan Revision
Tom Spezze, Executive Director, Rio Grande Watershed Emergency Action Coordination Team (RWEACT) – Watershed Initiative, distributed a handout concerning the Watershed Initiative (Attachment B) and discussed REACT's activities. RWEACT was created to mitigate the impact of the 109,000 acre West Fork Fire that occurred in 2013 and address 485,000 acres of insect infested forest in the Rio Grande National Forest that are at risk of burning and further impacting watersheds in the Rio Grande Basin. He explained that REACT installed radar facilities and rain gauges to forecast floods in fire impacted areas and promoted hazardous tree removal around campsites and other facilities. REACT also funded a a study to determine the feasibility of biomass facility to improve forest health and reduce the threat of wildland fire. He also discussed role of REACT in the revision of the Forest Plan for the Rio Grande National Forest and responded to questions from the committee about state funding for REACT activities and measures to improve forest health and reduce the threat of wildland fires.
Attachment B.pdf
04:08 PM
Dan Dallas, Forest Supervisor, Rio Grande National Forest, estimated that 50 percent of the Rio Grande National Forest has been impacted by insects. He identified insect-impacted areas of the Rio Grande National Forest that are open to logging and areas that are inaccessible due to wilderness designation or lack roads or other difficult terrain. He also responded to questions from the committee about federal resources for forest health programs, cooperation between federal, state, local, and private interests to improve forest health, the effect of federal budget reductions on federal forest management projects, and the USFS budget for fire suppression.