Forest Business Loan Fund

The Forest Business Loan Fund provides community-based financial lending capital to support forest and wood products businesses and compliments traditional grant programs.

Funding and Financial Partners

Contact Information

Program Overview

The Forest Business Loan Fund (FBLF), established by Colorado House Bill 09-1199 (HB-1199), provides lending capital to businesses that "harvest, remove, use, and market beetle-killed and other timber taken from private, federal, state, county, or municipal forestlands as part of wildfire risk reduction or fuels mitigation treatment." The purpose of the FBLF is to help retain forest-based businesses, maintain and/or increase local jobs, and contribute to the stability of local economies.

Eligible Applicants

  1. A business must be for profit. State and local governments as well as community and non-profit organizations are not eligible.
  2. A business must have a physical address within Colorado.
  3. A business must "harvest, remove, use, and market beetle-killed and other timber taken from private, federal, state, county, or municipal forestlands as part of wildfire risk reduction or fuels mitigation treatment."

The Application Process

  1. Call Tim Reader at (970) 247-5250 or email treader@lamar.colostate.edu for an application worksheet.
  2. Participate in a one-on-one site visit with Colorado Wood Utilization and Marketing Program staff to review applicant's technical, financial and marketing merit.
  3. Complete the appropriate Business Loan Fund organization's application materials, depending on business location.

Successful Candidates Should Demonstrate:

  1. Ability to meet the legislative intent
  2. Technical and financial merit
  3. Business operational history
  4. Ability to retain or create jobs
  5. Rural community economic stability

Partners