Forest thinning could backfire

I-70 CORRIDOR, Colo. – Thinning of forests near homes continues all over Colorado. But the experience in Summit County has been that making neighborhoods in wildland-urban interfaces less susceptible to fire is both expensive and not without a few twists.

Consider this effect of thinning. The conventional wisdom is that removing trees makes nearby homes safe from wildfire. But fire expert Ross Wilmore, of the U.S. Forest Service, tells theSummit Daily News that removing dead trees allow more sunlight to hit the ground, allowing grasses and shrubs to grow. When dried, this vegetation becomes “ladder fuel” that enables fires to spread and climb into the tops of trees.

These so-called crown fires are the most intense. This, said Wilmore, means that some lower-elevation areas still will have moderate fire risks, instead of low.

The thinning also is quite expensive. In the last three years, chain-saw-wielding timber crews have “treated” 400 acres in locations considered of greatest danger. That leaves 8,600 acres to go.

The total cost of this future cutting, according to the Summit County Wildfire Council, is nearly $39 million. The county government figures it can cough up $13 million, but hopes to get a tax increase that will yield another $6 million in the next 12 years.

Despite this, the wood itself is worth relatively little. A new mill in Kremmling, about 40 miles away, makes pellets for burning in stoves. However, theDaily News story suggests that the mill’s rate of $10 to $20 per ton won’t defray much of the cost.

The U.S. Forest Service is willing to pay $1,500 to $2,000 per acre for tree removal, but the actual cost is estimated to range from $4,500 to $8,000 an acre. “I don’t think the federal government fully understands how much of a national issue this is, and we’re going to raise their attention,” State Rep. Christine Scanlan told the paper.

Scanlan asked for federal appropriations over the next three years of $200 million, about half to be devoted to wildfire mitigation, with the balance to be used to cut down trees that threaten existing structures or threaten public safety. Trees falling into powerlines could disrupt electrical service, she says.

Another legislator, State Sen. Dan Gibbs, said $200 million falls far short of what is needed. “We need to get more federal funds earmarked for Colorado,” he said. Gibbs in the past procured $1 million for logging operations, plus other state funds for thinning projects in municipal watersheds that would be adversely affected by fire.

Meanwhile, the bark beetle epidemic, which is traced to 1996, is briskly turning most of the lodgepole pine forests in northern Colorado a rusty red. Forestry officials warned in January that 95 percent of lodgepole pine in the state will be dead within five years.

Ski industry may be over the hill

KETCHUM, Idaho – The average age of skiers has risen, and that’s good in many ways. But at Ketchum and Sun Valley, there’s a sense that the demographics are verging on retirement community.

Dick Dorworth, a well-known ski journalist, tells theIdaho Mountain Express that when he goes into a Sun Valley base lodge in the morning he’s often the youngest person there, “and I’m almost 70.”

The paper suggests that the cost of skiing discourages younger people. A season pass this year is going for more than $2,000. A stripped-down 20-day pass costs $800.

Even Aspen is less expensive, with a $1,300 pass available to members of the local chamber of commerce. Far cheaper yet is the Epic Pass being offered by Vail Resorts, which costs $579 and offers unlimited access to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin, plus California’s Heavenly Pass.

Bair Gourlay, a ski shop owner in Ketchum, said the high cost of skiing at Sun Valley discourages young people from spending a winter ski-bumming there – and makes it harder for local shops to find employees.

“The retail is a real struggle, especially for small, mom-and-pop stores,” Gourlay said. “We have to look at who it’s competing with – at some point we can’t just keep catering to the retired community.”

Of course, Vail’s ski areas all are in close proximity to major metro areas, which means that while they offer low prices for ski passes, volume is high. The closest city to Sun Valley is Boise – fast growing, but small compared to Denver and California’s Bay Area.

Aspen aims for 100% renewable

ASPEN – Customers of Aspen Electric, the municipal utility that supplies nearly two-thirds of the city with power, will see a rate increase of about 20 percent. City officials describe it as a way to leverage the city’s electrical supply to 100 percent renewable sources. Currently, Aspen Electric operates on about 75 percent renewable sources.

However, the increased costs will not be fully shared. The new rates will be incremental, so that consumers who use more kilowatt hours monthly will pay more. A consultant, Todd Cristiano, told the Aspen City Council that it’s possible some customers will see a decrease in their rates.

Aspen already buys a great deal of wind-generated electricity from outside sources, and in the 1990s invested in retrofitting a nearby dam, at Ruedi Reservoir, to give it hydroelectric capacity. It is also refurbishing hydroelectric plants on two local creeks to deliver electricity. Other sources of heat and energy, including ground-source heat pumps and geothermal energy, are also being explored.

Copper Mountain fires green shot

COPPER MOUNTAIN – Copper Mountain got an F in the Ski Area Report Card that was issued last year by Colorado Wild and other environmental groups. It was the worst rating in the western United States.

The resort angrily denounced the rating and fired back that it was doing a lot. Recently, the resort announced some of those gains.

For example, the transportation center now has a 4.2-kilowatt photovoltaic solar collector. It gained certification of a 45,000-square-foot building under the Green Globes program, which is parallel to the better-known LEED certification, which rates energy and other environmental efficiency of a building. The resort also replaced paper plates with washable plates in three of the resort’s four food courts, reports theSummit Daily News.

In the wake of last year’s report card, the resort hired an environmental program coordinator.

Foreclosure looms at Tamarack resort

DONNELLY, Idaho – Clouds continue to pile over Tamarack, the ski-based resort located 90 miles north of Boise that only three years ago drew President George W. Bush for a vacation. The latest bad news for the developers is that two banks, Bank of America and Sterling Bank, that had loaned money for a conference complex and an employee housing project plan to have the properties sold by auction.

The Associated Press, in stories published in theBoise Statesman, also reports that Bank of America forced a new agreement to cover lease payments on two ski lifts.

Separately, co-owner Jean-Pierre Boespflug conceded he may be forced to quit as chief executive officer to lure a new investor. Speculation also continues that the resort will be sold.

Telluride wins reusable bag battle

TELLURIDE – In the summertime battle of the bags, Telluride edged out Aspen. Grocers there recorded the use of more than 29,000 reusable bags between Memorial Day and Labor Day, compared to not quite 27,000 in Aspen.

The contest had been sponsored by environmental groups from the respective towns, who want to discourage one-use plastic bags. Worldwide attention has been focused increasingly on plastic bags, which are made from petroleum. Several cities have banned them outright.

Environmental leaders are considering asking for similar bans in Aspen and Telluride, or possibly the idea of requiring charges for the bags.

Subdivision for teachers takes shape

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. – Teachers in Wyoming’s Teton County are paid $52,582 to $77,082 annually. Throw in the benefits package, and it’s a pretty good living in most of the country.

But teachers’ wages have not been rising nearly as rapidly as housing costs. Housing commissioners, reports theJackson Hole News&Guide, have been hearing recently about a small subdivision that would be dedicated to teachers. Three-bedroom houses would range in price from $295,000 - $325,000. With a downpayment of 20 percent on the latter house and 5.75 percent interest, that would mean a monthly mortgage of $1,900.

– Allen Best