Cost complicates Vail forest thinning

By scott miller

VAIL — While the pine beetle infestation that killed countless trees around Vail has largely run its course, the damage remains, and that damage could be catastrophically dangerous.Dead timber is standing, on the ground and leaning against live trees throughout the forests around Vail, particularly on the south side of Interstate 70. And yes, that sounds like the way you’d arrange kindling to make a campfire writ large, just the formula to create a fast-running “crown fire” across the forest canopy.That kind of fire is dangerous enough in the backcountry. It’s potentially devastating in places where the valley floor is …

Source:: Vail Daily Feed