Colorado’s State Forest Entomologist is an Unsung Hero to Many

When you think of the state of Colorado's "heroes," you probably immediately go to people like Denver Broncos legend John Elway, South Park creators and Casa Bonita owners Trey Parker and Matt Stone, or maybe even your "friend in the diamond business" Tom Shane.

However, another man that you may have never heard of is actively involved in monitoring the health of our forests here in Colorado and what he does is nothing short of heroic and admirable.

Keep scrolling to learn about Mr. Aspen, a man by the name of Dan West.

Who is Colorado's Mr. Aspen?

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Dan West is Colorado's State Forest Entomologist, a position he's held since 2015, as well as a professor and alum of Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

West conducts valuable studies for the state of Colorado and its 24 million acres of forest land, some of which involve him flying over many of these acres in a plane.

Colorado's Mr. Aspen vs. Beetle Kill

One of the areas that West specializes in involves monitoring and recording instances of beetle kill in Colorado's forests. West takes note of beetle epidemic locations and uses his expertise in the subject to combat beetle kill which includes sharing his findings each year following his aerial trips.

Colorado's Mr. Aspen Knows What Fall Will Be Like

Because of the research, he conducts each year, Dan West is also a sort of Nostradamus-type in the way that he can predict when the fall colors will arrive, where the best places to see the fall colors will be, and overall what autumn is going to be like across the state of Colorado.

At the end of the day, Dan West aka Mr. Aspen is living proof that not all heroes wear capes.