Delta Timber received official notification this week that it has been awarded a $500,000 grant.

According to Eric Sorenson, co-owner and general manager of the more than half-century-old timber processor on Highway 92, the money will be used to double the company’s current 15 to 20-member work force.

The money, which Sorenson explained is restricted for use in direct funding of local jobs, will allow Delta Timber to run full-time crews in both its saw mill operation and on its planer. The company has been assigning its workers to one or the other of the operations on a rotation basis.

“The purpose of this grant is to create jobs, jobs, jobs,” Sorenson said. “There is a real concern that too much of the state’s timber industry has gone out of business. The idea of this grant is to help keep the industry surviving.”

There is a recognized need to deal with severe forest health issues of Sudden Aspen Decline, and beetle infestations that are threatening and killing vast stands of the state’s old growth pine and spruce forest.

Sorenson said that he, his employees, and his business partners are all extremely grateful to the community of Delta and to others who have supported them in their bid for the grant. “We received 19 letters of support from local economic development, from vendors we work with, from the county commissioners, from state legislators, and even from a U.S. senator,” Sorenson said. “We are really grateful for the community support we receive in Delta. It is quite overwhelming and I want to say how much we really appreciate this community.”

According to the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS), the money is part of the federal “stimulus” package. The U.S. Forest Service received $1.15 billion for forest project work nationwide and has funneled the funding to states through a competitive grant process.

The Colorado State Forest Service, an outreach agency of the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University, received two U.S. Forest Service grants to distribute on a competitive basis. A $6.25 million grant will create or retain jobs focused on forest restoration and fuels mitigation projects, and strengthening Colorado’s wood products industries. A second grant for $4.465 million will help fund jobs affiliated with developing and implementing community wildfire protection plans.

The CSFS received 52 proposals totaling more than $32 million. In addition to Delta County, 19 other Colorado counties will receive part of the stimulus funds.

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