Recently, the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee gave unanimous approval to legislation sponsored by me and Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis that will improve Colorado’s forestry workforce.
For the past several years we’ve experienced the devastating impacts of wildfires in our state, impacting our lives, homes, health, watersheds and economy. The increase in frequency and intensity is a direct result of escalating climate change. Colorado Democrats have been working to reduce the frequency of devastating wildfires, and I've been proud to help lead these efforts. We've provided resources for mitigation and suppression, but resources don’t mean much without the workforce to deploy them. This bill will support programs to quickly get a trained workforce in the field.
SB23-005 directs the Colorado State Forest Service to develop educational materials on career opportunities in the industry and create a workforce development program in the State Forest Service.