Colorado Parks and Wildlife outlines large-scale recovery plans after devastating 2025 wildfires

Restoration efforts underway to replant native vegetation and improve wildlife habitat across hundreds of thousands of acres of damaged land

Feb. 1, 2026 at 6:31pm

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Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has provided an update on its restoration efforts following the devastating 2025 wildfire season, which saw more than 265,000 acres burned across Western Colorado. The agency is working with conservation partners to coordinate seed orders, reseed impacted areas, and help private landowners recover from the damage. Key initiatives include restoring 860 acres within the Oak Ridge State Wildlife Area, a large-scale aerial seeding project to cover 24,000 acres of the Lee Fire burn scar, and assistance for private landowners to reseed an additional 1,280 acres.

Why it matters

The 2025 wildfire season was one of the most destructive in Colorado's recent history, with the Lee Fire alone burning more than 137,000 acres. Restoring the damaged ecosystems is crucial to supporting wildlife populations and preventing further environmental degradation like erosion and invasive species spread. CPW's large-scale recovery efforts demonstrate the agency's commitment to protecting Colorado's natural resources in the face of increasing wildfire threats.

The details

CPW is working with the Escalante State Wildlife Area Seed Warehouse to coordinate seed orders and continue restoring habitat lost to wildfire. At the Oak Ridge State Wildlife Area, 860 acres have already completed restoration work to improve soil health and reseed native plants. An additional 200 acres are planned for seeding this spring. This month, CPW will support the Bureau of Land Management in a large-scale aerial seeding project, spreading 300,000 pounds of seed across 24,000 acres of the Lee Fire burn scar. This will target critical winter range for mule deer and habitat for the Greater Sage-Grouse. CPW's Habitat Partnership Program is also assisting private landowners, with plans for aerial seeding on 200 acres and mechanical seeding on 1,080 acres.

  • The Lee Fire was first reported on August 2, 2025 and was not fully contained until September 16, 2025.
  • CPW is conducting aerial seeding on the Lee Fire burn scar this month (February 2026).
  • An additional 200 acres within the Oak Ridge State Wildlife Area are planned for seeding in the spring of 2026.

The players

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW)

The state agency responsible for managing Colorado's parks, wildlife, and natural resources.

Escalante State Wildlife Area Seed Warehouse

A facility that coordinates seed orders and supports habitat restoration efforts for CPW.

Bureau of Land Management

A federal agency that manages public lands, and is partnering with CPW on the large-scale aerial seeding project.

Tanya Banulis

A CPW habitat coordinator at the Escalante State Wildlife Area Seed Warehouse.

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What they’re saying

“We can't restore every acre impacted by wildfire, 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.”

— Tanya Banulis, CPW habitat coordinator

What’s next

CPW plans to continue restoration efforts for the foreseeable future as crews work to reestablish healthy vegetation and improve wildlife habitat across the fire-impacted areas.

The takeaway

CPW's large-scale recovery plans demonstrate the agency's commitment to protecting Colorado's natural resources in the face of increasing wildfire threats. By coordinating seed orders, restoring critical habitat, and assisting private landowners, CPW is taking proactive steps to help the state's ecosystems recover and become more resilient to future wildfires.