Colorado’s more than 24 million acres of diverse forests provide important benefits including clean air and water, habitat for wildlife, outdoor recreation and more. To protect these benefits and make Colorado forests and communities more resilient to wildfire, Gov. Jared Polis has announced $8.5 million in Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation grants to 35 projects in 24 counties.
Since 2017, the State of Colorado has provided funding to assist communities and groups across Colorado to reduce wildfire risk and promote forest health through the Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation (FRWRM) grant program, administered by the Colorado State Forest Service. This program has awarded funds for a total of 312 projects on more than 30,000 acres to make Colorado forests more resilient and our communities safer.
“Colorado has seen firsthand the devastating impacts of wildfires on our communities. This funding helps us combat wildfires and comes at a time when Colorado is experiencing record low snow levels, and severe drought. We know that proactive fire prevention helps keep Coloradans informed, supports our firefighters, protects our forests, and keeps our communities safer and prepared for when wildfires strike,” said Gov. Polis.
The FRWRM grant program has a matching requirement, either through cash or in-kind contributions. Award recipients in areas with fewer economic resources, as defined by the social vulnerability index layer within the Colorado Forest Atlas, must match 25% of the project total, and all other award recipients must match 50% of the total project cost. The FRWRM grant awards combined with the match commitments result in $17.6 million dedicated to reducing wildfire risk to communities, critical infrastructure and watersheds as well as building capacity to sustain long-term mitigation efforts.
The funding for this round of FRWRM awards will help Coloradans complete the following activities:
- Create defensible space, reduce hazardous fuels and remove beetle-killed trees in high-risk subdivisions
- Improve safety along critical evacuation routes, ensuring safe egress for residents and emergency responders
- Protect critical watersheds and drinking water sources
- Reduce risk of wildfire to critical water infrastructure, wildlife habitat and community resources
- Build capacity through education and outreach efforts and support the planning of future fuels reduction projects
“Year after year, Colorado communities are showing up, doing the right thing and taking action to reduce the risk of wildfire to not only their homes and businesses but also in service to their communities and the forest itself,” said Matt McCombs, state forester and director of the CSFS. “The FRWRM grant program has proven to be a dependable way to get this crucial forest health work done across the state and help Coloradans learn to live wildfire ready.”
For the 2025-2026 round of FRWRM grants, the CSFS received 73 eligible applications. The CSFS had $8.5 million available for this round of grants and is funding 35 projects.
“Colorado is currently facing unprecedented low snow pack, record high temperatures and a year around fire season making the Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation program even more critical than ever,” said Dan Gibbs, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Natural Resources. “These grants will go to needed projects to reduce the wildfire risk around homes, water supplies and other critical infrastructure and help create more resilient communities.”
These counties received FRWRM funds during this funding cycle: Alamosa, Archuleta, Boulder, Chaffee, Conejo, Costilla, Douglas, El Paso, Garfield, Grand, Jackson, Jefferson, La Plata, Larimer, Las Animas, Mesa, Mineral, Montezuma, Park, Rio Grande, Routt, Saguache and Teller.
The CSFS will announce the next round of funding assistance through the FRWRM grant program in fall 2026. Learn more about FRWRM grants.