Contact

➤ LOCATION

Monte Vista, CO

☎ CONTACT

legacyforestco@gmail.com
(719) 850-2095

https://www.facebook.com/legacy.forest.management.colo

https://www.linkedin.com/company/legacy-forest-management-llc-colorado

Who We Are

Born in the Gila, Built for Stewardship

Legacy Forest Management is built on a simple belief: healthy forests depend on a strong stewardship ethic and a respect for the natural processes that shaped them. This belief speaks to our origins in the Gila region of southwest New Mexico—a landscape that has long been at the center of natural‑resource policy debates.

For generations, the Gila’s fire‑shaped forests and the rural communities around them have carried the impacts of management approaches that too often ignored ecological realities and the people who rely on these landscapes. Growing up in a place where policy, culture, and ecology intersect made it clear that forests thrive only when stewardship works with natural processes and respects the communities connected to them. Those lessons remain central to our mission today.

A Calling Shaped by Service and Landscape

Our path into this profession began with the U.S. Army, where discipline, service, and responsibility to something larger than yourself are non‑negotiable. Those values became the foundation of our approach to land stewardship. After leaving the military, years spent working for the U.S. Forest Service across the Southwest and Southern Rocky Mountains deepened that commitment.

Seeing the consequences of altered fire regimes, fragmented decision‑making, and heavy‑handed management made one thing clear: meaningful restoration requires leadership, integrity, and a willingness to work with natural processes—not against them. Over time, it became impossible to ignore the widening gap between what our forests need and what government institutions, constrained by bureaucracy, shifting priorities, and academic inertia, are often able to deliver.

Filling the gap with purpose

Those limitations reinforced our belief that the private sector is uniquely positioned to advance the practical, innovative solutions that too often stall within government and academia. That conviction is a core reason we stepped into this profession and ultimately founded Legacy Forest Management. We recognized that the forests and communities of the Southwest needed a different kind of stewardship—one grounded in service, shaped by lived experience, and accountable to both ecological reality and the people who depend on these landscapes.

Legacy Forest Management was created to provide the space for solutions that public institutions and academic systems often struggle to deliver. In the private sector, we have the freedom to move quickly, respond to site‑specific conditions, and apply hard‑earned field experience without being slowed by bureaucracy or institutional inertia. That flexibility allows us to blend science, operational practicality, and community priorities into restoration strategies that truly work on the ground. Legacy exists to bridge that gap—to offer innovative, accountable, and place‑based stewardship that our forests and the communities tied to them deserve.

Why Landowners Choose Us

Real‑world, boots‑on‑the‑ground experience

With a strong foundation in forest operations management, silviculture, and technical field forestry, we bring a level of operational precision and ecological insight that only comes from years of hands‑on work across the Southwest. Our background spans wildland firefighting, logging, utility vegetation management, and complex project coordination—experience that ensures every recommendation is grounded in practical feasibility, ecological integrity, and proven on‑the‑ground results.

Science‑driven, professionally credentialed decisions

Our approach is grounded in proven forestry science—silviculture, forest health, fire ecology, and understanding how your land naturally functions—explained in clear, practical terms that help landowners make confident decisions. As an active member of the Society of American Foresters and the Association of Consulting Foresters, with extensive consulting and field experience across the Southwest, we combine technical rigor with real‑world application to deliver guidance you can trust and results you can see on the ground.

Low‑impact treatments with long‑term vision

We design every project to protect soil, water, wildlife habitat, and long‑term forest health—always balancing ecological integrity with your goals for the land. Whether we’re thinning, marking timber, or applying targeted forest‑health treatments like verbenone/MCH, our focus is on durable, landscape‑appropriate solutions that improve your forest today and keep it resilient for years to come.

Transparent, trustworthy communication

Landowners appreciate our clear communication, professionalism, and reliable follow‑through. With phased billing, detailed scopes of work, and consistent updates throughout the project, you always know exactly what to expect. No surprises—just straightforward guidance and dependable execution from start to finish

Leadership you can rely on

Led by a seasoned forester with a proven track record in forest operations, contractor management, and complex project oversight, we provide the steady leadership landowners rely on when making important decisions about their land. Our experience guiding clients through complex forestry, wildfire, and restoration challenges gives you confidence that every step—from planning to implementation—is handled with professionalism, clarity, and a commitment to doing the job right. When you choose us, you’re choosing a trusted partner who leads with integrity, proven experience, and a deep responsibility to the long‑term health of your land.

Our Approach

Healthy forests aren’t the product of luck—they’re shaped through deliberate, site‑specific stewardship that honors natural processes and the distinct character of each landscape. Our ecological approach is rooted in the understanding that true resilience comes from working with the land’s inherent patterns, not forcing one‑size‑fits‑all prescriptions onto complex ecosystems.

Our work focuses on:

• Restoring natural fire regimes

  Re‑establishing the conditions that allow frequent, low‑intensity fire to return to the landscape often begins with mechanical treatments that correct decades of altered stand structure and create the ecological setting where fire can once again function safely and effectively.

• Aligning stands with their Historical Range of Variation (HRV)
  Using HRV as a guide to understand how forests evolved, how they functioned under natural conditions, and how far current conditions have drifted from ecological balance.

• Improving structure, species composition, and resilience
  Creating stands that are better adapted to drought, insects, disease, and the broader environmental changes affecting Western forests by promoting diversity, stability, and appropriate density.

• Reducing hazardous fuels without degrading ecological function
  Implementing treatments that lower wildfire risk while protecting soils, maintaining nutrient cycles, and preserving the ecological processes that sustain long‑term forest health.

• Supporting wildlife habitat and watershed integrity
  Enhancing the conditions that allow wildlife to thrive and safeguarding the watersheds that communities, ecosystems, and downstream users depend on.

Our Stewardship Philosophy

Effective forestry is more than a set of treatments — it’s a long‑term commitment to understanding how landscapes function and how they respond to change. Our philosophy is built on the belief that stewardship must be adaptive, transparent, and grounded in both ecological science and real‑world field experience. We recognize that every stand, watershed, and community has its own history and pressures, and responsible management means meeting those realities head‑on rather than forcing generic solutions onto complex systems.

We approach every project with the same guiding principles: respect the land’s natural processes, work within its ecological limits, and design treatments that support long‑term resilience rather than short‑term appearances. Whether we’re preparing a stand for the safe return of fire, improving structure and species composition, or reducing fuels in a way that protects ecological function, our goal is always the same — to leave forests healthier, more stable, and better prepared for the challenges ahead.

Our commitment matters because the work matters. Healthy forests support communities, wildlife, watersheds, and livelihoods. They deserve a level of care that matches their importance — and that’s the standard we hold ourselves to every day.