Community Meetings

Evergreen Fire/Rescue Wildland Division presents an online five-part speaker series, taking a deeper dive into our forested environment. Join online for these free webinars:

Forest History and Fire Ecology on the Colorado Front Range

Presenter: Matt McLemore, Senior Forester - Jefferson Conservation District
Monday, February 9 from 6 to 7 p.m.

Overview: Learn about the striking change in Colorado's Front Range forests over the last 150 years - how people have altered natural fire regimes, why we care about our forests, why we experience catastrophic wildfires today, and what we can do about it. We'll answer the counter-intuitive question, how can cutting down trees be conservation work?
Attend virtually - Zoom Link for Feb. 9, 6-7pm

Mountain Pine Beetle along the Colorado Front Range

Presenter: Dan West, PhD Entomologist, Colorado State Forest Service
Monday, February 23 from 6 to 7 p.m.

Overview: Dr. Dan West will provide an overview of emerging mountain pine beetle activity along Colorado’s Front Range, with an emphasis on current population trends and the conditions contributing to their increase.
Attend virtually - Zoom Link for Feb. 23, 6-7pm

Effects of disturbance on tree level resistance in ponderosa pine trees along the Colorado Front Range

Presenter: Kelby Woodard, Clear Creek Watershed and Forest Health Partnership, Forest & Mitigation Program Manager
Monday, March 2 from 6 to 7 p.m.

Overview: My thesis research shows that thinning and low-severity wildfire not only reduce fuels, but significantly increase growth and resin-based defenses in ponderosa pine trees, strengthening resistance to beetles and drought.
Attend virtually - Zoom Link for March 2, 6-7pm

Co-Benefits of Fuel & Restoration Treatments

Presenter: Caden Chamberlain, Senior Forest and Fire Ecology Research Associate, CO Forest Restoration Institute
Monday, March 9 from 6 to 7 p.m.

Overview: I will discuss recent empirical research from across the western US exploring the effects of fuel reduction and restoration treatments on outcomes including burn severity, infrastructure survival, containment success, landscape
resilience, and wildlife habitat.
Attend virtually - Zoom Link for March 9, 6-7pm

Aspen as a Green Fuel Break: Opportunities & Challenges

Presenter: Max Cook, Senior Wildfire Analyst and Research Associate, CO Forest Restoration Institute
Monday, March 16 from 6 to 7 p.m.

Overview: Aspen trees have long been considered less flammable than conifers, especially across the intermountain West. Still, they do burn when the conditions align. This presentation will highlight the recent science on fire behavior in aspen forests and focus on the opportunities and challenges associated with using targeted aspen management to create and maintain green fuel breaks.
Attend virtually - Zoom Link for March 16, 6-7pm

Saturday, February 28
CSU Spur campus, Denver CO

On Saturday, February 28, 2026 the Landscaping with Colorado Native Plants Conference will offer a full day of educational programming promoting the cultivation and maintenance of native plants in the landscape. Join in for an inspiration-packed day at the 11th annual Landscaping with Colorado Native Plants Conference. Visit Landscaping with CO Native Plants website for a complete schedule, session descriptions, registration, speaker bios and volunteer opportunities. If you have questions about the conference, please reach out to Allisa Zurbuchen (allisa.zurbuchen@colostate.edu) or Deryn Davidson (deryn.davidson@colostate.edu).