The Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) is now accepting applications for the Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation (FRWRM) Grant Program. Community groups, homeowner associations, utilities and nonprofit organizations are just some of the groups eligible to apply for grants from the $7.2 million funding pool.
Applications will be accepted until 5pm on October 10, and applicants can request help from their local CSFS field office.
Field office locations can be found at https://csfs.colostate.edu/areas/.
“Since the FRWRM program started, we’ve seen many examples of community-led wildfire mitigation efforts providing real results, successfully limiting the spread of wildfires and reducing the risk to homes and buildings,”said Matt McCombs, state forester and director of the CSFS. “I strongly encourage towns, HOAs and neighborhood groups to apply for these funds and take action to mitigate wildfire at local levels. When this work occurs throughout the state, all Colorado residents benefit from healthier and more resilient forests.” The FRWRM Grant Program helps fund projects that strategically reduce wildfire risk to property, infrastructure and water supplies, and that promote forest health through scientifically based forestry practices.
The competitive grant program can fund fuels and forest health projects that reduce hazardous fuels and promote forest health. These grant funds can also be used for capacity-building projects that provide communities with the resources and staffing necessary to plan and implement fuels and forest health projects. The projects can be on private, state, county or municipal forestlands.
There is a fund-matching component of the grant awards. The state can fund up to 50 or 75 percent of the cost of each awarded project; grant recipients are required to match at least 50 or 25 percent of the total project cost. This can be through cash or in-kind contributions, and the required matching amount de- pends on whether or not the project location falls within an area of “fewer economic resources,” as identified in the Colorado Forest Atlas, available at https://coloradoforestatlas.org/.
Applicants must coordinate proposed projects with relevant county officials to ensure consistency with county-level wildfire risk reduction planning.
Follow-up monitoring is a necessary component of this grant program to help demonstrate the relative efficacy of various treatments and the utility of grant resources. The CSFS will work with successful project applicants to conduct project monitoring and conduct site visits to assess effectiveness and completion of projects.
Additional emphasis will be given to projects that have some specific features:
- Identified through a community-based collaborative process, such as a community wildfire protection plan.
- Implemented strategically across land ownership boundaries.
- Conducted within a priority area identified in the 2020 Colorado Forest Action Plan.
- Use the labor of an accredited Colorado Youth or Veterans Corps organization.
- Include forest treatments that result in the protection of water supplies.
Applications must be submitted electronically to local CSFS field offices by 5pm on October 10.
A technical advisory panel convened by the CSFS will review project applications and make funding recommendations. Funding will be awarded by March 31, 2025.
Applications and additional information about the FRWRM Grant Program are available at CSFS field offices and on the CSFS website, https://csfs.colostate.edu/.