Colorado's 2026 Pine Beetle Response: Task Force, Funding, and What It Means for Homeowners

Colorado Has a Pine Beetle Problem — Again

If you've driven along US-285 or I-70 lately, you've probably noticed: thousands of ponderosa pines are turning brown. Mountain pine beetles have exploded across the Front Range after a decade of relatively low populations, and the state is scrambling to respond.

Unlike the early 2000s epidemic that devastated lodgepole pines in the high country, this outbreak is hitting ponderosa pines — and it's much closer to where people live. Aerial surveys show more than 7,000 acres of impacted forest across Boulder, Larimer, Jefferson, Douglas, Park, Gilpin, Clear Creek, and El Paso counties.

The cause? A perfect storm. Colorado's warmest winter on record let far more beetle larvae survive than normal. Years of drought have weakened trees, reducing their ability to produce the sap that normally fights off beetles. And because warm temperatures have lasted longer, beetles are producing an extra generation of offspring each year — multiplying their numbers even faster.

Forest experts are projecting a very high level of tree mortality will continue for the next decade.

Here's what the state is doing about it.

The Ponderosa Mountain Pine Beetle Task Force

In mid-December 2025, Governor Polis signed an executive order creating the Ponderosa Mountain Pine Beetle Task Force — a 20-organization group charged with developing coordinated, science-based strategies to protect Colorado's forests, communities, and water resources over the next decade.

The task force is co-chaired by:

Dan Gibbs, Executive Director of the Department of Natural Resources
Mike Morgan, Director of the Division of Fire Prevention and Control
Matt McCombs, State Forester and Director of the Colorado State Forest Service

Members include local governments, utilities, recreation and tourism organizations, insurance representatives, conservation experts, timber and milling companies, wildfire and emergency management professionals, federal partners, and philanthropic organizations.

The task force held its first meeting in late February 2026 and its second meeting on April 1, 2026. Governor Polis's proposed budget sets aside $3.9 million for the task force's work.

The goals are broad: protect Front Range communities, safeguard critical water resources (dead trees = less snowpack retention = less water), support Colorado's outdoor recreation economy, and enhance fire mitigation and response.

Jefferson County's Cost-Share Program

While the state task force works on long-term strategy, Jefferson County isn't waiting. In March 2026, Jeffco launched a Mountain Pine Beetle Landowner Assistance Program with ,000 in dedicated funding.

Here's how it works:

50/50 cost share — the county reimburses up to 50% of eligible costs
Maximum ,500 per property
Priority goes to properties under 40 acres
Eligible work includes removal of infested green trees and treatments like solar, debarking, chipping, or mastication
Trees that died in prior seasons are not eligible — only trees with live beetle stages qualify
Work must be performed after your application is approved (don't start early)

The application deadline is 5:00 PM on April 23, 2026. Approval can take three weeks or more, so if you have infested ponderosas in Jeffco, apply now.

Details and applications are available on the Jefferson County MPB Landowner Assistance page.

New Legislation: Biological Controls from the Palisade Insectary

The first bill signed in the 2026 Colorado legislative session directly targets pine beetles. The law supports the Palisade Insectary — a state facility that breeds beneficial insects used as biological pest controls.

Rather than relying solely on chemical sprays, the Palisade Insectary researches and raises insects that naturally prey on bark beetles. The new funding is meant to scale up this work as part of a longer-term, integrated pest management approach.

What About Wildfire Risk?

Dead pines dry out and become fuel. That's the concern driving much of the urgency — especially with this outbreak happening so close to populated Front Range communities.

The science here is more nuanced than the headlines suggest. Research from CU Boulder and Colorado State University has found that beetle-killed forests don't necessarily increase wildfire risk overall. There may even be a decrease in fire risk in some scenarios, because dead trees drop their needles (reducing the most flammable canopy fuels).

The exception: a brief 1-3 year window when dead trees still have red needles attached. During this phase, crown fire risk does increase. Given that the current outbreak is actively killing thousands of trees near communities right now, we're entering that window on the Front Range.

What Homeowners Should Do Right Now

Government programs help, but they can't treat individual trees on your property. Here's what you can do before beetle flight season begins (typically June through September):

Water your pines deeply. Drought-stressed trees can't produce enough sap to fight off beetles. Deep watering at the drip line — 10 gallons per inch of trunk diameter, 1-2 times monthly — is the single most important thing you can do.
Inspect your trees. Look for pitch tubes (popcorn-like sap blobs on bark), boring dust at the base, and fading needles. If you see these signs, the tree is likely already infested.
Consider preventive sprays. Healthy, high-value pines can be protected with insecticide sprays (carbaryl, permethrin, or bifenthrin) applied to the bark before beetles fly. These are 95%+ effective when applied correctly by a licensed applicator. Timing matters — treatments need to be in place before July.
Remove infested trees promptly. Once beetles are inside, no treatment can save the tree. Remove it before July and chip, solarize, or burn the wood locally to prevent beetles from spreading.
Talk to your neighbors. Beetles don't respect property lines. Isolated efforts fall short without coordination. If you and your neighbors all have ponderosas, a community approach to thinning, spraying, and removal is far more effective.

For a complete breakdown of every treatment option — what works, what doesn't, and what it costs — see our Pine Beetle Treatment & Prevention Guide.

The Bottom Line

Colorado is taking this outbreak seriously. A governor-appointed task force, $3.9 million in state funding, new biological control legislation, and county-level cost-share programs all signal that this isn't business as usual.

But the timeline matters. Spraying season is approaching fast, the Jeffco application deadline is April 23, and beetles will fly again this summer. If you have ponderosa pines on the Front Range, the time to act is now — not after you see red needles.