The U.S. Forest Service has scheduled a March 17 workshop to inform the public about spruce beetle killing many spruce trees in Colorado. The workshop is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Vallecito Room in the Student Union at Fort Lewis College.
The U.S. Forest Service has scheduled a March 17 workshop to inform the public about spruce beetle killing many spruce trees in Colorado. The workshop is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Vallecito Room in the Student Union at Fort Lewis College.Courtesy of U.S. Forest Service file photo

Aerial surveys found 53,000 beetle-infested acres in the San Juan National Forest in 2014. The cumulative impact of the beetle on the forest since 1996 stands at 209,000 acres, said Laurie Swisher, a forester with U.S. Forest Service in Durango.

Acres infested in the five counties of Southwest Colorado were La Plata, 23,000; Archuleta, 40,000; Montezuma, 6,300; San Juan, 15,000; and Dolores, 22,000.

The purpose of the workshop is to give everyone a baseline understanding of the beetle problem. Tom Eager, with the Forest Service research center in Gunnison, will lead the discussion.

The workshop is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Vallecito Room in the Student Union at Fort Lewis College.

Kara Chadwick, San Juan National Forest supervisor; foresters; and resource specialists will be available for informal talks at 5:30 p.m.

[email protected]