The Summit County Forest Health and Fuels Cooperative Agreement team was named as a recipient of the U.S. Forest Service’s highest award, the Chief’s Award, along with the Colorado Fourteeners Program, in 2021.

The Summit County cooperative was formed to reduce fuels in the wake of the mountain pine beetle epidemic in partnership with the Colorado State Forest Service, Denver Water, Summit County government, The Nature Conservancy and others.

A news release about the award called the project “a model for community-based forest health and watershed management in Colorado and throughout the West.“

A virtual ceremony Thursday, Jan. 13, recognized employees who made outstanding contributions in 2021 to the agency’s mission and the communities served.

The Chief’s Award celebrates the accomplishments of individuals as well as partnerships throughout the U.S. that excel at meeting one of the agency’s four strategic goals: sustaining the nation’s forests and grasslands, delivering benefits to the public, applying knowledge globally and excelling as a high-performing agency.