Colorado forest health alert
Mountain pine beetle activity is expanding in Colorado's Front Range forests. Early identification and appropriate prevention can help protect vulnerable trees.
Request a Forest Health AssessmentIncrease in mapped mountain pine beetle-affected acreage in the surveyed nine-county Front Range area, from 2,236 acres (2024) to 5,544 acres (2025). Includes Teller, Park and El Paso counties. Source: Colorado State Forest Service, 2025 report.
Bark beetles can kill susceptible trees, especially when drought and heat reduce a tree's natural defenses. The risk varies by location, tree species, tree condition and local beetle pressure. Not every tree or property will be affected, and not every tree can be saved.
Healthy, high-value trees may benefit from site-specific prevention measures, including forest management and, where appropriate, professionally applied preventive treatments before attack. Trees already successfully colonized by bark beetles generally cannot be rescued by bark sprays. Diagnosis and timing matter.
Ask About Beetle PreventionStatistics describe surveyed forest acreage, not the probability that an individual property will lose its trees. The 2025 aerial survey covered less area statewide than 2024; the 148% comparison is for the same surveyed nine-county area.
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