Colorado Parks and Wildlife helping to restore thousands of acres impacted by 2025 wildfires

COLORADO (KRDO) – Colorado saw a brutal wildfire season in 2025 – including the fifth-largest fire the state has ever seen. Now, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) says its crews are coordinating large-scale efforts to restore wildlife habitat and protect watersheds in areas that were most impacted.

CPW said beginning in the spring of 2025, drought conditions contributed to an intense wildfire season for the state, resulting in over 265,000 acres burning statewide. Several major fires on the Western Slope caused significant impacts to critical wildlife habitat, including the following:

• Lee Fire: 137,758 acres (the fifth-largest wildfire in state history, according to Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control data)
• Elk Fire: 14,518 acres
• Sowbelly Fire: 2,274 acres

The agency said multiple of its programs mobilized quickly both during and after the fires to prioritize restoration efforts that would deliver the greatest benefit to local wildlife and watersheds.

CPW's seed warehouse

As fires were still burning in the summer of 2025, CPW’s Habitat Conservation Team began working with conservation partners to place seed orders, the agency said. Since then, over 341,000 pounds of seed have come through the seed warehouse for partners across the state, along with an additional 30,000 pounds specifically for CPW restoration projects.

All of that seed has been shipped to the Escalante SWA Seed Warehouse near Delta, where it is stored under climate-controlled conditions, CPW said. The warehouse, which was built in 2012, allows CPW to purchase seed in bulk and store it for future use – a crucial advantage during large wildfire years when supplies are limited.

“While the seed warehouse itself is relatively small, its impact is enormous in a big wildfire year,” said Tanya Banulis, a CPW habitat coordinator working at the warehouse. “It allows us to quickly coordinate with federal agencies, secure seed, and focus restoration on the areas where it will make the biggest difference for wildlife and long-term recovery.”

Restoration on the Oak Ridge State Wildlife Area, Lee Fire burn area

CPW says one of its most immediate restoration efforts followed the Elk Fire, which burned large portions of the Oak Ridge State Wildlife Area. During the fall and winter seasons following the fire, the agency says it completed restoration work on 860 acres of the area, including

• 160 acres of abandoned agricultural land treated with seeding to establish a more diverse plant community
• 700 acres of mule deer and elk winter range

The combined cost of these projects was $171,000, CPW said. Crews plan to seed an additional 200 acres of the wildlife area in spring 2026.

CPW also said in February, it will support the Bureau of Land Management in a major effort to restore the land impacted by the Lee Fire, including aerially applying around 300,000 pounds of seed will be applied aerially to 24,000 acres.

Some of the areas they're targeting include land where pinyon-juniper woodlands were heavily burned. The agency says reseeding this area will help reduce erosion and invasive weeds.

"Strategic reseeding following wildfire is critical for wildlife habitat and protecting watersheds," CPW said in a release. "When fires burn intensely, soils can become hydrophobic, preventing water infiltration and increasing the risk of flooding, erosion, and impacts to aquatic ecosystems."

Supporting private landowners

In addition to work the agency is completing on public land, CPW's Habitat Partnership Program will also be assisting private landowners with restoration efforts on 200 acres of aerial seeding, approximately 1,080 acres of mechanical seeding, and ongoing efforts for the foreseeable future, CPW said.

“We can’t restore every acre impacted by wildfire,” Banulis said. “But having seed on hand and the ability to move quickly helps put thousands of acres on a better trajectory for long-term ecological recovery.”

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