Colorado State Forest Service celebrates grand reopening of tree nursery

The Colorado State Forest Service reopened its tree nursery after a $16.7 million upgrade and renovation. Initially established in 1957, the CSFS tree nursery is the premier provider of high-quality seedlings for conservation and reforestation in Colorado. The newly renovated facilities have the capacity to produce 2 million seedlings annually.

Around 200 CSFS staff and guests gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the new greenhouses and shadehouses at a special Grand Reopening event on Oct. 20.

“We’ve worked on renovating and updating the nursery for the past three years, and to finally see the first crop growing is an incredible step forward for reforestation efforts in Colorado and the West,” said Kristin Garrison, associate director of forest planning and implementation at the CSFS. “The legacy of this nursery will last for generations.”

Devastating wildfires in Colorado and the West underscore the need for tree seedlings to help reforest acres burned by wildfire or eroded by postfire flooding. Recent wildfires have been so large and destructive that trees may not regrow on their own in those areas. Colorado and other western states have also experienced destructive floods that scar the land after waters recede. The seedlings grown in the newly renovated CSFS nursery will help build climate-resilient watersheds and forests as well as restore riparian areas destroyed by floods.

“I visited the nursery before renovation, during renovations, and now I’m thrilled to visit the new and improved nursery. Coloradans depend on healthy forests for clean air, good-paying jobs and the outdoor lifestyle we love. Our forests are worth protecting and this nursery is growing the trees that will bring our forests back stronger for the next generation,” said Gov. Polis, who toured the facilities Oct. 27.

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