Colorado State Forest Service

What Colorado State Forest Service does

The Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) is a Colorado state government agency, established in 1955 by the Colorado General Assembly as a division of Colorado State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (now Colorado State University). It operates as a service and outreach agency within CSU's Warner College of Natural Resources and provides staffing for the Division of Forestry within the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. Its statutory mandate is to protect Colorado's forest resources from fire, insects, and disease, and to educate private forest landowners in management techniques.

CSFS delivers its mission through 18 field offices plus 3 satellite locations across Colorado, supported by a 130-acre state nursery in Fort Collins that produces approximately 850,000 low-cost conservation seedlings annually, and a suite of public-facing geospatial tools built on the ArcGIS platform — including the Colorado Forest Atlas (wildfire risk mapping), Colorado Forest Tracker (forest management locations), Colorado Forest Ecosystem Carbon Inventory, Colorado Biomass Assessment, Colorado Tree View (urban tree inventory), Forest Health Maps, and a GIS Open Data Portal. Programs include the Good Neighbor Authority portfolio (~$38 million), the Live Wildfire Ready public awareness campaign, Community Wildfire Protection Plans, the CoWood utilization and marketing program, Project Learning Tree K-12 curriculum, and federal/state grant administration for forest restoration and wildfire risk mitigation.

The agency is funded through annual state appropriations, federal cooperative forestry funds, and administered state and federal grants; it does not generate commercial revenue. Core customers are private forest landowners, communities and municipalities, fire protection districts, wood businesses, and K-12 educators, with strategic partners including the U.S. Forest Service, Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Warner College of Natural Resources, Denver Water, The Nature Conservancy, and multiple county and municipal governments.

Name

Colorado State Forest Service

Legal name

Colorado State Forest Service

Website

https://csfs.colostate.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Colorado State Forest Service is a Colorado state government agency and CSU Warner College outreach unit that delivers statewide forestry technical assistance, wildfire mitigation, and conservation education through 18 field offices, a 130-acre nursery producing 850,000 seedlings annually, and GIS-based forest data tools, serving private landowners, communities, fire districts, and educators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

State Forestry Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Support Activities for Forestry (115310), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Forestry and Logging (113), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (1132)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Public Lands Administration (State/National Forests) (BPAIAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forest Health Management (Pest, Disease & Invasive Species Control) (AFAMAAAE), Forest Fire Management & Fuels Reduction Services (IMAMAAAH), Forest Ecosystem Services & Carbon/Conservation Programs (AFAMAAAJ), Tree Planting & Establishment Services (Manual/Mechanized) (AFAMACAE), Watershed Protection & Water Quality Services (AFAMAMAB)

Keywords

• Forest management services
• Wildfire mitigation programs
• Conservation seedling nursery
• Urban community forestry
• Forest health monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Collins

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices22 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: State and federal appropriations provide primary funding for forest management, wildfire mitigation, and community forestry programs across Colorado
2. Grants Administration: Administration of federal and state grant programs including wildfire mitigation grants, forest restoration funding, and community forestry assistance
3. Nursery Seedling Sales: Sale of conservation seedlings and trees from the state nursery for reforestation, windbreak, and urban forestry projects
4. Service Fees: Fees for specialized services including timber sales administration, forest management planning, and technical assistance programs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Colorado State Forest Service is a state government service and outreach agency that delivers forestry technical assistance, wildfire mitigation, forest health management, and environmental education to landowners, communities, local governments, and partner agencies across Colorado. It operates a state nursery producing conservation seedlings, administers federal and state grant programs, and develops geospatial data and web-based mapping tools that support forest management decision-making.

Product overview

The Colorado State Forest Service is a service and outreach agency of Colorado State University that provides technical forestry assistance, wildfire mitigation expertise, and education. The organization operates a platform of data tools and web applications including the Colorado Forest Atlas (wildfire risk mapping), Colorado Forest Tracker (forest management locations), Colorado Forest Ecosystem Carbon Inventory, Colorado Biomass Assessment, and Colorado Tree View (urban tree inventory). Supporting services include the Seedling Tree Nursery (producing 850,000 seedlings annually), the CoWood program for wood utilization and marketing, the Good Neighbor Authority Program for cross-boundary forest management, the Live Wildfire Ready public awareness campaign, Community Wildfire Protection Plans, and various grant programs for forest restoration and wildfire mitigation. The organization does not offer a public API or AI/ML-powered products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Colorado Forest Atlas A web-based mapping platform providing statewide geospatial data and information related to wildfire risk, forestry, and natural resources, serving as a one-stop shop for decision support tools for developing projects, writing forestry plans, assessing wildfire risk, and evaluating forest conditions.
• Colorado Forest Tracker A comprehensive resource of forest management locations across Colorado, providing data on where forestry treatments and management activities have been conducted statewide.
• Colorado Forest Ecosystem Carbon Inventory An interactive dashboard providing forest carbon dynamics at statewide, regional, and county scales, allowing users to visualize and download carbon stock and flux estimates across various carbon pools, forest types, and disturbances.
• Colorado Biomass Assessment An interactive dashboard offering woody material volume estimates in Colorado, classified into material categories with views statewide, by forest type, and by land ownership.
• Colorado Tree View (CO-TreeView) An online tree inventory and mapping tool that records the location, species, and condition of trees in Colorado's urban forests, allowing communities to house and manage their tree data.
• Forest Health Maps Searchable map and story map providing the latest information on insects and diseases affecting Colorado's forests, based on data from annual aerial forest health surveys.
• GIS Open Data Portal A public resource to search, access, and stream authoritative datasets and data visualizations from the Colorado State Forest Service, including web maps, dashboards, and datasets.
• Seedling Tree Nursery Colorado's state nursery producing approximately 850,000 low-cost conservation seedling trees and shrubs annually for reforestation, wildlife habitat enhancement, soil erosion reduction, and living snow fences, located on 130 acres on CSU's Foothills Campus in Fort Collins.
• CoWood (Colorado Wood Utilization and Marketing Program) A program that improves forest conditions by supporting the competitiveness and sustainability of Colorado's wood products businesses and forestry contractors through technical assistance, market research, and workforce development.
• Colorado Forest Products A consumer education program under CoWood that promotes buying local wood products harvested from Colorado's forestland.
• Live Wildfire Ready Campaign The State of Colorado's public awareness campaign for wildfire preparedness, providing resources for residents to know their wildfire risk, reduce risk, and be ready before a wildfire occurs.
• Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) Planning documents authorized under the Healthy Forests Restoration Act that bring together local interests to address public safety, community sustainability, and natural resources in the wildland-urban interface.
• Good Neighbor Authority Program A program enabling federal and state agencies to work together on forest management projects across multiple land ownerships, managing a $38 million portfolio of federal agreements, state funding, and timber sale revenue.
• Forest Restoration & Wildfire Risk Mitigation Grants State-funded grants that reduce the risk of wildfire to people, property, and infrastructure while promoting forest health and restoration for community groups and nonprofits.
• Wildfire Risk Mitigation Loan Fund A loan program providing lending to forest businesses for equipment and working capital needs to support wildfire risk mitigation activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• ~850,000 conservation seedlings produced annually for reforestation and conservation planting
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• U.S. Forest ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing federal partnership through Good Neighbor Authority enabling collaborative forest management on federal lands; $38 million portfolio for forest restoration and timber sales; shared wildfire mitigation and forest health initiatives
• Colorado Department of Natural ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent state agency providing oversight and coordination for statewide forest management, wildfire mitigation, and natural resource programs; statutory reporting relationship
• Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership providing research support, student workforce, and technical expertise; houses the Colorado State Forest Service; Tree Campus recognition for 15 years
• The Nature ConservancymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation partner in Blue River Valley project providing land management expertise and funding support for watershed-scale forest health and wildfire mitigation
• Summit County GovernmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner in Blue River Valley collaborative wildfire mitigation project; provides funding and local coordination for community resilience programs
• Town of Blue RiverminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner in Blue River Valley wildfire mitigation collaboration; community-based forest management and defensible space programs
• Town of BreckenridgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner in Blue River Valley wildfire mitigation collaboration; supports community forest management and emergency preparedness
• Red, White and Blue Fire Protection DistrictmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFire district partnership for wildfire preparedness, fuels reduction coordination, and emergency response planning in Summit County area
• Denver WatermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater utility partnership for watershed protection; collaborative forest health management to protect water quality and supply
• Colorado State Land BoardmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState land agency partner for Michigan River Camp stewardship and forest management on state trust lands; collaborative management planning
• Colorado Parks & WildlifemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState wildlife agency partner for Michigan River Camp collaborative management; integrated forest and wildlife habitat management
• Middle Colorado Watershed CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWatershed group partnership for collaborative forest health and water quality initiatives along the middle Colorado River corridor
• Colorado River Wildfire CollaborativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-stakeholder collaborative addressing wildfire risk across the Colorado River watershed through coordinated forest management

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE): California's primary state-level forestry and wildfire agency. Directly comparable to CSFS in statutory forestry mandate, statewide field office structure, nursery operations, fuels reduction, and forest health management — operating at much larger scale in California.
• Oregon Department of Forestry: Oregon's state forestry agency with comparable responsibilities in forest protection, private landowner assistance, wildfire mitigation, and seedling nursery operations. Directly comparable mission, structure, and revenue model to CSFS.
• Washington State Department of Natural Resources: Washington's state natural resource agency managing forest health, wildfire response, and trust land management. Comparable to CSFS in scope of state-level forest stewardship and direct landowner services.

Broad incumbents

• USDA Forest Service: Federal counterpart and primary Good Neighbor Authority partner of CSFS. Comparable in forestry and wildfire mission but operates at national scale across federal lands rather than state-level private/commercial assistance.

Emerging players

• The Nature Conservancy: Major private conservation NGO that partners with CSFS on Blue River Valley. Comparable in forest health, watershed protection, and conservation easement work, but operates nationally and through private funding rather than state appropriations.
• Trust for Public Land: National conservation organization working on conservation easements and forestland protection. Comparable in conservation finance and easement transactions (e.g., Higher Ground Headwaters Ranch partnership with CSFS) but operates through private philanthropy.

Others

• National Association of State Foresters: Umbrella association representing state forestry agencies including CSFS. Comparable as a coordinating/advocacy body but does not directly deliver field services; relevant as a policy and funding channel for CSFS.
• American Forest Foundation: National nonprofit focused on family forest stewardship and the Project Learning Tree curriculum (which CSFS delivers in Colorado). Comparable in landowner education and conservation programming but operates through NGO funding models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCM2eDp4L1qLJHupFCulFP2Q/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Colorado-State-Forest-Service/157048732269
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colorado-state-forest-service
• Instagraminstagram.com/colorado.state.forest.service
• Xx.com/CSFS_Outreach

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Colorado State Forest Service