Colorado Forest Restoration Institute

03/15/2026

03/10/2026

Join our team and transform forest and fire science into actionable information with a great group of humans.

Knowledge Synthesis, Communication, and Application Specialist.

Full position details and apply here: https://tinyurl.com/8tebjd4c

02/24/2026

Two weeks ago, we were reminded of what makes our work at CFRI possible: partnership and community.

We began with a three-day Strategic Staff Retreat focused on strengthening our understanding of CFRI’s mission and how our staff contributes to CFRI’s collective impact. The retreat created space to connect in person and align on values and shared goals. We were also grateful to welcome Daniel Bowker, Forest Program Director for the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed, who shared how CFRI has impacted his work and the local community.

On Friday, we celebrated Bike to Work Day with the Fort Collins community! We hosted a table on the Oval at CSU and connected with 332 people about our work in Colorado’s forests.

Opportunities to connect with our staff and partners reinforce that collaboration is at the core of CFRI’s work. By building strong relationships and showing up for one another, we create the partnerships that make meaningful, lasting impact possible. Thank you to everyone who helped make the week a success!

12/16/2025

The Colorado Forest Restoration Institute at Colorado State University is hiring experienced Research and Monitoring Crew Leaders and Assistant Crew Leaders!

These positions assist with field data collection and management in support of our research and monitoring field studies.

Full position descriptions and application-

Crew Leaders: https://jobs.colostate.edu/postings/169825

Assistant Crew Leaders: https://jobs.colostate.edu/postings/169824

For full consideration, please submit all application materials by December 31, 2025.

Please contact Kat Morici for questions [email protected]

11/06/2025

Fuel treatments moderate wildfire severity, even in extreme fire conditions.

A recent study of Colorado’s record-setting 2020 fires found that forests with treatments like thinning or prescribed fire burned less severely than untreated areas. These treatments help forests stay more resilient, but their influence depends on forest type, weather, and fire history.

To truly protect people, landscapes, and ecosystems, treatments need to be strategic and ecologically grounded, working with natural fire dynamics while reducing the risks of extreme fire behavior.

Thoughtful management today means more resilient forests tomorrow.

Read it here: https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjfr-2024-0329

10/07/2025

Check out this recent collection of guides for foresters, botanists, restoration ecologists, and land managers.

Piñon is a culturally and ecologically important tree species that in recent decades has experienced increased mortality across its range due to drought, beetle infestations, and wildfire.

Restoring piñon following such events will require seed collection.

This document addresses frequent questions relating to the collection of piñon seeds for reforestation.

Read the full field guide here:https://cfri.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2025/09/Schloegel-et-al-2025-pinon-pine.pdf

07/03/2025

Here are just some of the many activities we did during this year’s training week. Training week is a great time where we all get to know each other a little better while familiarizing ourselves with all of the monitoring protocols that will be implemented over the summer. Of course we weren’t able to fit everything in, more of our favorite moments not pictured include measuring fuel treatments in the rain, learning about everyones music taste on the car rides up, and stretching before our hikes. We can’t wait to hear all of your stories from the field at our end of season gathering! 🌼🌲

05/15/2025

The Colorado Forest Tracker was created by the Colorado State Forest Service and the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute as a first-of-its-kind project in the state.

The Colorado Forest Tracker compiles records from across agencies into a publicly accessible online dashboard, creating a central database and reporting system for forest management activities across the state.

Read more about the new tool from Colorado Public Radio

Local scientists are hopeful the new tool will help fill the gaps following funding cuts for federal land management and wildfire prevention employees,

05/15/2025

The Colorado State Forest Service has recently launched an online database designed to help Coloradans understand forest management activities across the state.

04/24/2025

🔥 Curious about the interaction between fuel treatments and wildfire?

Join us on May 15 at 1pm MT for a free webinar co-hosted by and
!

🌲You'll hear from the Southwest Ecological Restoration Institutes ReSHAPE program about:
📍 The Treatment & Wildfire Interagency Geodatabase
🧠 Decision support tool social science research
🔥 Treatment effectiveness
💰 Economic return on investment

Don’t miss this deep dive into improving landscape resilience and guiding science-informed decisions!

Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/-qEYXhl8Rqeu7KhiwBFmbQ