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oReseorve | | Bi -..Mohument Fire Center
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Pike National Forest
Pikes Peak Ranger District.
United States
Department of
Agriculture
Al
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National Agricultural Library
Forest-Service Employees pose before the nursery gate — 1925.
Welcome trom Pikes Peak District Ranger
e are proud to bring you know others that did. Vi the ie
underway to show how it is possible to
the story of the Monument and early 40’s the Civilian
live in a wildland area, subject to fire,
Nursery, now called the Monument Conservation Corp established a camp.
safely. An important aspect is the
Fire Center. The area has a long ~ at the nursery. The residents of |
renovation of the buildings using fire | -
and colorful history, beginning with Monument saw hundreds of young -
resistant materials while protecting —
its establishment as a nursery in men come and go from the train
and enhancing their historical
1907, to its current day ‘station as they fulfilled their 6 month
character. The Pikes Peak Wildfire
headquarters for two national hitch. Today we still enjoy and
Prevention Partners and The
wildland fire fighting crews. appreciate the results of their work.
Colorado Historical Socie ty are
Its original purpose as a The Mt. Herman and Rampart Range
. important partners in he lping Hehe
nursery was to provide tree Roads are examples.
this project a reality. .
seedlings for National Forests in the’ Currently the area is being
Thank you for visiting the
‘surrounding five state area making transformed into a fire training and
a Monument Fire Center. We believe
‘up the Rocky Mountain Region, demonstration center. The,
you will find : it an interesting and»
areas that had been heavily logged ~ transformation began in 1979 with . | worthwhile experience.
_or destroyed by large wildfires. It the stationing of the Pike Hotshot:
served in that capacity for 58 years. ° Crew at the center. In 1996a pe
Many residents of Monume nt may Helitack-Crew was added. Planning
have either worked at the nursery or and development is currently. District pares
v7
Step BacIn kTim e
aze west to the dark forests We are fortunate that such
which cloak the Front Range scenes can be left to the imagination.
_ of the Rockies. Graced byc rystalline They do, however, illustrate a fact.
nl:
streams, and homet o a vast array of that is easily overlooked: that our -
wildlife, these timberlands remain a lives would be. much different if no
natural sanctuary from the hectic one made the effort to safeguard our
bustle of the urban world below. Look forests. For the last century, the men
again at these forested flanks, and and women of the United States .
imagine a different scene. Imagine Forest Service have taken that
the mountains devoid of forest, where responsibility for the health and
_ unchecked and unrestrained logging sustainability of our forests and their
~ have left a barren world of. muddy resources. Because of this critical
creeks and vanished wildlife. Imagine, role, the. activities of the Forest -
these slopes being scorched by Service have had a major influence on
uncontrolled and uncontested fires, the history and development of the.
where the lives and property of. region. Few places illustrate this
nearby residents were. threatened mission more than the Monument
time and time. again. 6 Fire Center.
As you wander through the Rocky Mountain region. During the becomes a focal point for another home and community. Your visit to
grounds.o f the Monument Fire Great Depression, the center became increasingly important Forest Service the Monument Fire Center will not
Center, youl l be immersed in the home to one of Colorado’s largest mission.— educatioann d stewardship — ' only enlighten you of the positive
history of the Forest Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) of our nation’s public lands. contributions of the Forest Service,
important mission that it has camps. Famous for the high-quality. - It is with this mission in mind but will also allow. you to relive a
undertaken of caring for the land and roads, trails, and buildings that they | that we invite you to experience all piece of our nation’s colorful history.
serving people. Established in 1907 constructed, the colorful stories of . that the Monument Fire Center has to
as the Monument Nursery, the center the CCC men belie the despair and offer. Step back in time to learn
was one of the first such nurseries in desperation of that era. In the 1970's about the nursery's significance and
the fledging National Forest System, the nursery was transformed to kelp - the effect it had on the forests we see
an importanctog in the Forest | accomplish another critical Forest today. Examine the remaining
Service's first critical endeavor — | Service endeavor — wildfire handiwork of the CCC crews, and
the reforestation of public lands -management. As a base for elite imagine what life was like for those
devastated by random logging and firefighting crews,* called “Hotshots”, young men coming of age in such a _
fire. In 1920, the site was selected to - the center remains a top-notch trying era. Find out what it is like. to
be home to the “Memorial Grove”, training site for firefighters that be a “Hotshot” or “Helitack” crew
established in memory of deceased | gather here each summer. The member, and learn about the latest in
Forest Service employees from the center's legacy continues, as it fire prevention techniques for your
»
hen WH. Gardner and forline 80 square miles oe would combined into the Pike National
Allen S. Peck were - have to be replanted. Forest. . This greatly expanded the
| dicpetched by the Bureau of Forestry In response to these findings, role and importance of a nursery.
to survey the forests of the Pikes — the Bureau of Forestry established | In late 1906, a new site for.a’
Peak region, they found an ecosystem three small tree nurseries in the’ _ Nursery was suggested— a site that
that was “generally in poor health and mountains southwest of Colorado met the criteria for success. It was -
in some areas devastated”. By 1903, Springs the following year. Their located at a lower elevation than the
when the two made their journey, mission was to grow seedlings that previous nurseries, thus it hada
* . these timberlands had been subjected could be transplanted into areas longer growing season. The soil at the
to almost 50 year's of unchecked’ | denuded of trees. However, within 2 ‘site was much more fertile, and
logging and grazing, and. had been — | years, the nurseries were deemed promised to be more productive.
ravaged by at least two major fires. failures, due to poor soil, short Finally, there was easy rail access,
They determined that because of this,” ‘growing conditions, and the which allowed efficient transport of
half of the forested landsi n this part inaccessibility of: the sites. seedlings to other areas needing
of the Pikes. Peak Timberland _ Meanwhile, the Pikes Peak reforestation. The site was approved,
Reserve were reproducing either too ° Reserve, and two other reserves in’ and on May is 1907, the Mt: Herman
slowly to sustain themselves, or not at - the Front Range area, the Plum ‘Planting Station was established. ;
all! TERS ponons. of the forest -— _— Creek and South Platte were Within 2 years, the name was
changed to the Monument Nursery. .
_. In its 58 years of operation,
the Monument ‘Nursery served a _
critical role in the effort to increase
the health of forests throughout the
region. In each of those 58 years,
millions of conifer seedlings,
including Douglas-fir, Engelmann
spruce, Western yellow pine, Limber
pine, and Bristlecone pine, were Te,
eae ee ei
grown and shipped. During its first
few years, trees from the nursery © ; 20. ae, TOI > fn
were used primarily in the Pike
National Forest and other nearby -
forests. Oneo f the earliest
_ reforestation successes was on
Mt. Herman. Rising just west of here;
Mt. Herman was nearly barren of —
Ponderosa pine ‘cones.
trees after intense fires from the manner — with as many as 20 million -
1880's. Within 20 years of operation, seedlings being grown at once, it had
- to be! Cones of the various species
thriving seedlings from the nursery
transformed the mountainous slopes had to be collected so that their seeds
from an ugly: black and red:scar to the could be extracted from the cones.
healthy green of a young forest. As There were a numbero f methods
_ growing techniques improved, and. used to collect cones, but one of the -
_ transportation became less costly, the most common was to raid the stashes
nursery became one of the most of the local squirrel population! Seed
important in the Rocky Mountain ' extraction was a three step process.
‘Region. Through the years, seedlings First, the cones were cleaned, then
grown here were used in national placed ‘in a drying room where they
forests from New Mexico to South were roasted for several days at
Dakota, and for windbreaks on 200°F to 500°F which caused the
prairies from Texas to lowa. | .cones to open. Some of, the seeds
As you may imagine, the - could be removed from the cones at
Typical Tent Camp. nursery was run ina highly organized this time, but the remainder were
