Partnerships add capacity and increase efficiency on the Rio Grande National Forest

The Rio Grande National Forest (RGNF) and the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) first partnered under Good Neighbor Authority in 2016. The initial agreement included minimal supplemental funding for the CSFS and targeted support for the small sales program (e.g., commercial firewood, timber sales less than 1,000 CCF, etc.). This relationship was established during a period when the RGNF was well-staffed with forestry personnel focused on Engelmann spruce salvage in the wake of a spruce beetle outbreak, whereas the local CSFS district office only had two foresters. 

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The organizational relationship developed, strengthened, and expanded the subsequent four years. In 2020, a new Good Neighbor Agreement was executed. This agreement was built upon lessons learned and adjusted priorities based on mutual interests and shifting organizational capacities: market-interest in salvage material was waning, the RGNF forestry program had lost staff through attrition, and the CSFS was gaining capacity and funding from the Colorado legislature.

The renewed agreement provided additional federal funding for Colorado State Forest Service personnel and, at the state agency's request, expanded the scope of the agreement to include larger timber management projects. Working with the State, this agreement was structured to emphasize intent and outcomes rather than prescriptive approaches and procedures. This has allowed both agencies to quickly adapt and react as needs and priorities shift. Since this agreement was implemented, the Colorado State Forest Service  has managed approximately 50% of the commercial timber volume on the Rio Grande National Forest and has secured State funding for an additional CSFS forester position in the local field office to support Good Neighbor projects. 

In 2024, the most recent forestry services agreement between the Colorado State Forest Service and the Rio Grande National Forest was signed under Good Neighbor authority. This agreement transferred all precommercial forest management activities (e.g., mastication, hand-thinning, etc.) to the State. This transfer of project management reduced the internal workload associated with maintaining Contracting Officer Representative certifications and project administration. As a result, our streamlined forestry organization can now focus on outyear planning to ensure our pipeline of commercial and precommercial forest management projects is strategically planned and achievable.

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As a final highlight of the synergy that has developed through this partnership, the RGNF entered into a stewardship agreement with the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) to harvest 3,400 acres within a 26,000-acre project area. The objectives of this project were to salvage dead Engelmann spruce, reduce the risk of severe wildfire on the landscape, enhance forest health, and improve wildlife habitat within the spruce-fir ecotone. Management activities are expected to yield roughly 19,000 CCF of timber products that will be utilized by local and regional timber industry. These activities are estimated to support 225 jobs in the timber industry sector. Building on the success of this partnership, two additional projects will be added to the agreement framework later in FY25 and yield 24,000 CCF of timber.

Given the importance of this project in meeting Rio Grande National Forest, National Wild Turkey Federation, and Colorado State Forest Service forest management objectives, the CSFS partnered with the NWTF to provide contract management and oversight of all forest management operations contracted by the NWTF. This is an example of multiple partners working towards mutually desirable outcomes using an added-capacity approach to leverage each partner’s unique expertise and operational efficiencies to reduce process time and minimize duplication of effort. 

Partnerships on the Rio Grande National Forest have expanded our capacity, increased our efficiency, improved our agility, and allowed us to manage for both ecological and economic outcomes.

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