Partnerships add capacity, increase efficiency on Rio Grande National Forest

COLORADO-Wood is an essential renewable resource, and the Forest Service is an important part of the timber pipeline. Partnerships are key to ensuring the agency can conduct forest management activities that improve the health of national forests and the communities that surround them. To that end, Rio Grande National Forest and the Colorado State Forest Service recently renewed a Good Neighbor Authority agreement that began nine years ago.

The 2024 agreement transferred all precommercial forest management activities (e.g., mastication, hand-thinning, etc.) to the state. By transferring project management to Colorado, the forest reduced its internal workload, allowing it to fulfill its responsibility to the timber pipeline. That allows forest staff to ensure commercial and precommercial forest management projects are strategically planned and achievable.

Salvage harvest operations on the Saguache Ranger District awarded by the National Wild Turkey Federation and administered by the Colorado State Forest Service. (USDA Forest Service photo by Kevin Duda)

The forest initially partnered with the state in 2016, providing minimal funding to the state for their support of the small sales program. Small sales consist of commercial firewood and timber sales less than 1,000 hundred cubic feet, or CCF, of timber volume.

The relationship strengthened over the next four years, and in 2020, expanded under a new agreement that built upon lessons learned and adjusted priorities. At that time, market interest in salvage material was waning and Rio Grande's forestry program had a reduced staff just as the state was gaining capacity and funding from the Colorado State Legislature. The agreement provided additional federal funding for state personnel and expanded the scope of the agreement to include larger timber management projects. It was structured to emphasize intent and outcomes rather than focus on the processes and procedures used to accomplish objectives.

This has allowed both agencies to quickly adapt and react as needs and priorities shift. In recent years, the state has managed approximately 50% of the commercial timber volume on the Rio Grande and secured funding for an additional state forester position in the local field office to support Good Neighbor Authority projects.

System road construction on the Divide Ranger District that will be completed through a stewardship agreement with the National Wild Turkey Federation. (USDA Forest Service photo by Kevin Duda)

The forest also entered into other partnerships to increase efficiency, including a stewardship agreement with the National Wild Turkey Federation. The federation agreed to harvest 3,400 acres within a 26,000-acre project area to salvage dead Engelmann spruce, reduce the risk of severe wildfire on the landscape, enhance forest health and improve wildlife habitat. Management activities are expected to yield roughly 19,000 CCF of timber products that will be used by the local and regional timber industry. These efforts will support an estimated 225 jobs in the timber industry.

Building on the success of this partnership, two additional projects will be added to the agreement framework later in fiscal year 2025 and yield 24,000 CCF of timber. Colorado State Forest Service partnered with the federation to manage all timber harvesting operations contracted by the federation.

Partnerships like these demonstrate the benefits of working across boundaries: using each partner's expertise to reduce process time and minimize duplication of effort. By partnering with others, the Rio Grande has expanded its capacity, increased its efficiency and been able to manage for both ecological and economic outcomes.