Watch Out!
By Diann Ritschard, Public Affairs Specialist,
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests
Falling trees are always a hazard when traveling in the forest. That hazard has increased dramatically in the aftermath of a landscape-scale mountain pine beetle epidemic in Northwest Colorado and Southern Wyoming. The lodgepole pines killed by beetles have a shallow root system that will not support the dead trees for very long. They have already started to fall and in some instances have fallen in areas where people are likely to be. An average dead lodgepole pine weighs about five hundred pounds and can severely injure or even kill a person when it falls. Most of them will fall down within the next 10 – 15 years.
The Forest Service, Colorado State Parks and other entities remove dead trees from developed campgrounds, trailheads and parking areas to provide for public safety. They also remove dead trees that might fall on roads and power lines. In normal years the Forest service removes about 20 - 30 dead trees from each campground in the Routt County area, but this year they removed 1,000 dead trees from some campgrounds. You can see how dangerous the situation has become. However, it's not possible to remove all the dead trees from the greater forested areas.
The following are guidelines to help you avoid risks when recreating in your national forests and other public lands, in all seasons of the year.
- Be aware of your surroundings. Avoid dense patches of dead trees. They can fall without warning.
- If you are in the forest when the winds increase, head to a clearing out of reach of any potential falling trees.
- Park close to a main road; if trees fall across the road you may be trapped.
- Put vehicles and camps in areas where they will not be hit if a tree falls.
- Bring an ax or chainsaw to remove fallen trees from roads in case you become trapped.
- Don't rely on cell phones for safety since there is no coverage in many areas of the National Forests.
Disclaimer of Liability
With respect to the identification and removal of all tree hazards found in a forested recreation setting, neither the United States Government nor any of its employees makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of the information contained herein, or actions that may be taken by a visitor to the National Forest.
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