2,700 dead and dying trees need to be removed from Chatfield State Park

LITTLETON, Colo. – About 2,700 dead and dying trees will be removed from Chatfield State Park to increase safety throughout the area.

Poplars and willows, which have been inundated by water since 2023, are dying and at risk of falling.

“When we got all the moisture in 2023, water levels remained high in Chatfield, which was good for the storage manifolds that had water in the reservoir, but not so good for the trees,” said Scott Roush, assistant northeast regional manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). “These trees are starting to get weak, they’re going to fall over. [With] Wind events, like we have a little wind today, [trees] tends to fall over. Then they become a danger to people and everything around them.”

These trees not only pose a danger to boaters or kayakers, but also to the dam at Chatfield Reservoir.

“It could have a backup effect down there and clog the spillway,” Roush said. “Then you cause water to build up and then it’s all released at once. So that’s a worst-case scenario.”

The trees removed represent only about 1% of all trees on the reservoir. Despite this, CPW planted more than 100,000 trees and shrubs throughout the park to make up for the trees that had to be cut down. This is intended to preserve habitat for native wildlife and birds that call Chatfield State Park home.

Ethan Carlson of Denver7

Workers will continue to clear the trees, circling the reservoir, for at least six months. While it may be frustrating for visitors who have enjoyed kayaking through the trees in recent years, the point is to keep people safe.

“Would you be disappointed if you looked forward to it? Yes, but we have to be careful about safety,” Roush said. “Safety comes first. We don’t want people coming out here and getting hurt.”