PIKE-SAN ISABEL NATIONAL FOREST, Colo., June 16, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Thanks to a donation from Black Hills Energy, the burned landscape of 1,500 acres of the Pike-San Isabel National Forest is becoming green again.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=5167
Black Hills Energy donated $45,000 and worked with the Coalition for the Upper South Platte to collect more than 300 pounds of ponderosa pine seeds shortly after the Hayman Fire burned almost 138,000 acres in the national park. In 2005, the seeds were germinated and used for plantings. Today, the seedlings have about an 85 percent survival rate.
"We are very happy with the results and the progress of the tree plantings," said Mo Klefeker, Black Hills Corporation's Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and Development.
Because of the exposed nature of some of the planting sites as well as poor soil conditions, the trees often will only grow a few inches a year. The trees range in height from about 6 inches in areas that were planted recently to about 2 feet in the areas planted in 2005. The trees are expected to take as long as 50 years to reach their full height. CUSP works with volunteers who travel to the planting sites and find appropriate locations for each tree.
Of the more than 300 pounds of seeds collected, only a portion has been used so far, and CUSP is planning more seedling plantings in the future. Black Hills Energy's efforts are important because much of the government funding that used to go toward tree-planting activity is now funneled to fire control and support. The company is also evaluating the process of using tree plantings as an option for producing carbon dioxide offsets. Trees consume carbon dioxide, which is widely believed to be a key contributor to global warming.
"We started the seed collection project with the initial intention of helping out the forest service and doing something after the Hayman Fire," Klefeker said. "The seed collecting and tree planting project has been a great opportunity for Black Hills to show its commitment toward environmental stewardship in Colorado."
Black Hills Corporation is a diversified energy company. Its retail businesses are Black Hills Power -- an electric utility serving western South Dakota, northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana -- and Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power, an electric and gas distribution utility serving the Cheyenne, Wyo. vicinity. Black Hills Energy, the wholesale energy business unit, generates electricity, produces natural gas, oil and coal, and markets energy. The company's Web site is www.blackhillscorp.com. See also www.blackhillsenergy.com.
The Coalition for the Upper South Platte formed in 1998 and seeks to improve and protect a watershed that covers approximately 2,600 square miles of central Colorado from the Continental Divide to Strontia Springs Reservoir, southwest of Denver. For more information or to make a donation to the Hayman Fire replanting efforts, call 719-748-0033 or e-mail CUSP@uppersouthplatte.net.
The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.
