Poudre River Fest supports forest regeneration in High Park Fire burn area

It's been more than a decade since the High Park Fire burned more than 87,200 acres in Larimer County. The efforts to regenerate the forest continue in part thanks to the Poudre RiverFest.

Poudre RiverFest is a celebration, educational and fundraiser all wrapped up in one event. The money raised helps protect and restore the Poudre River, and it all starts in the canyon.

"I'm seeing a lot of primary growth, a lot of grasses, a lot of shrubs," said Cory Dick with the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed. "Ponderosa are having a tough time coming back on their own."

The Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed is working to reforest the burn scar.

"About last October, we planted roughly 700 ponderosa pine seedlings," said Dick.

The seedlings are about a foot tall now. The Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed is seeing on average an 84% survival rate in the first year of the reforestation project. The typical survival rate is around 60%.

"We can credit that to our micro planting, our microsite selection," said Dick.

Volunteers planted the seedlings near the fallen logs on the land, which then provide shade, shelter and water retention as the new trees take hold.

"The seeds and the seedlings we're using to reforest this area are actually directly from this area so they're acclimated. Their genetics are meant to be in this area," said Dick.

As part of the reforestation project, Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed volunteers collect pine cones from surviving ponderosa pines in the area and manually sow the seedlings that are planted. They're doing the work that Mother Nature can't get done on her own.

"Us being able to kick start that regeneration by manually reforesting, we'll see a big change in the next 50 years," said Dick.

As the forest regenerates on the hillside, wildlife will return, and the pines will filter the rain runoff and keep the soil from eroding. All of that keeps the Poudre River running strong.

The Poudre RiverFest is happening this Saturday, Aug. 10 from noon to 6 p.m. at New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins. CBS Colorado's YourReporter in Northern Colorado Dillon Thomas will host the event.