DENVER — More than $7 million will support 31 forest restoration and wildfire mitigation projects across Colorado, the state announced on Monday.
Gov. Jared Polis announced the counties that were awarded funds to help with these sorts of projects thanks to the 2023-2024 Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation (FRWRM) grant program grant cycle, which was established by the Colorado legislature in 2017. The grant program is managed by the Colorado State Forest Service.
Through the grants, the state assists communities and groups to reduce wildfire risk in their area, while also promoting forest health. Funding from this round of FRWRM grants will go to projects in the following 17 counties: Boulder, Chaffee, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Eagle, El Paso, Garfield, Grand, Huerfano, Jefferson, La Plata, Larimer, Montezuma, Park, Pitkin and Routt.
Within these counties, $7.2 million will help Coloradans build the capacity to address wildfires, reduce its risk to people, property and infrastructure, promote forest health and restoration and more across 3,715 acres of forest and communities.
“These local grants play an important role in protecting lives, property and the Colorado way of life,” said Matt McCombs, state forester and CSFS director. “The need for these resources, to ensure resilient forests and lower the risk of wildfire across the state, cannot be overstated.”
The projects include:
- Broadmoor Resort Community HOA — Broadmoor Resort Community Wildfire Mitigation Plan — $143,900
- City of Fort Collins — Michigan Ditch Pre-Fire Mitigation — $507,805
- Clear Creek Fire Authority — Clear Creek Community Chipping Program — $26,500
- Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed — North Rim Road Wildfire Mitigation 2023 — $90,000
- Coalition for the Upper South Platte — Catamount Region Forest Health — $57,657
- Coalition for the Upper South Platte — CUSP Chipper — $75,306
- Colorado Firecamp — Firecamp Community Forestry — $468,600
- Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) — Blodgett Fuels Reduction — Blodgett Fuels Reduction
- Colorado Springs Fire Department Wildfire Mitigation Section — CSFD Wildfire Mitigation Masticator — $141,500
- Colorado State Land Board — Pine Creek Forest Health — $40,000
- Douglas County Open Space and Natural Resources — Sandstone Ranch Forest Restoration — Sandstone Ranch Forest Restoration
- Eagle Valley Wildland (Eagle River Fire Protection District) — Eagle Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project Addendum — $262,090
- Falls Creek Ranch Association, Inc. — Falls Creek Healthy Forest Restoration — $65,000
- Falls Creek Ranch Association, Inc.Falls Creek Ranch Association, Inc. — $65,000 — $37,000
- Genesee Fire Rescue — Genesee Fire Protection District Strategic Fuels Reduction — $68,000
- Genesee Fire Rescue — Genesee FPD Chipper — $50,000
- Jefferson Conservation District — Lone Rock Phase 2 — $157,190
- La Plata County — Durango Area Fuel Reduction Plan Development — $138,750
- Lake Agnes Property Owners Association (LAPOA) — Lake Agnes Fuel Break and Access Road Fuel Reduction Project — $113,317
- Larimer Conservation District — Diamond Creek Forest Restoration — $450,000
- Larimer Conservation District — Elk Park Forest Restoration — $663,750
- Larimer County Department of Natural Resources — Hermit Park Open Space - Estes Valley Forest Health Project — $102,000
- Lee Driscoll — Castle View Forest Restoration Project — $775,000
- Lefthand FPD — Upper Ceran St. Vrain Watershed 2023 — $243,029
- Mancos Conservation District — Upper Dolores & Mancos Watershed Capacity — $421,995
- Norrie Colony — Norrie Fire Break and Fuel Reduction Project — $25,600
- North Routt Fire Protection District — NoRoCo Fire Mitigation — $517,000
- Roaring Fork Valley Wildfire Collaborative (RFVWC) — Roaring Fork Valley Wildfire Collaborative (RFVWC) — $112,000
- Spanish Peaks Alliance for Wildfire Protection (SPAWP) — SPAWP 2023-2024 FRWRM GrantSPAWP 2023-2024 FRWRM Grant — $628,440
- The Sanctuary HOA/Central Park Management — The Sanctuary HOA/Central Park Management — $60,000
- Woodmoor Mountain Homeowners Association — Woodmoor Mountain Mitigation Project 2.0 — $303,750
The FRWRM grant program has a matching requirement, the state said. Applicants out of areas with fewer economic resources must match at least 25% of the project's total, while other applicants must match 50%. Including the matching funds, investments in these projects totals more than $15 million.
“The Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation is funding strategic forestry and wildfire mitigation projects, building fire adapted communities and resilient landscapes in Colorado,” said Dan Gibbs, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. “These matching funds bring sustainable and needed investments in wildfire mitigation and forest health making an on the ground difference for Colorado communities.”
Almost 80 applications were submitted this round, requesting more than $18 million.
Dorie Dalton, wildland specialist with the Genesse Fire Protection District, said Genesee has not had a major wildfire in recent memory, but the area is becoming overgrown, so the department hopes to return the landscape to a healthy forest.
"It's very overgrown. You saw the densely packed areas," Dalton said. "So that's something we're trying to mitigate — to reduce the wildfire risk and to also put it back the way it was before... The fires were suppressed for so long."
The 2024-2025 request for applications for this grant program will open up later this summer. To learn more and receive updates, click here.
"Colorado is a leader in wildfire prevention, mitigation and response and we continue working to ensure our communities have the resources they need. This new support will protect people, homes, and infrastructure and reduce wildfire threats," Gov. Polis said.
The relatively wet and cool conditions in 2023 allowed more new flammable vegetation to grow around the state. The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control typically releases its yearly wildfire outlook in April. Click here to read last year's outlook.
To explore the interactive Wildfire Risk Viewer, click here.
