Forest Restoration & Wildfire Risk Mitigation

Legislation passed during the 2021 Colorado legislative session provided additional funding and an expanded scope for the Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation (FRWRM) Grant Program, administered by the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS). The FRWRM Grant Program was created during the 2017 legislative session when the Colorado General Assembly passed Senate Bill 17-050, which consolidated the Colorado Forest Restoration Grant Program (previously administered by the CSFS) and the Wildfire Risk Reduction Grant Program (previously administered by the Colorado Department of Natural Resources). This competitive cost-share grant program is designed to assist with funding community-level actions across the state to reduce the risk of wildfire to people, property, and infrastructure in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), while encouraging forest health and restoration projects and promoting the utilization of woody material for traditional forest products and biomass energy.

All proposals must benefit more than one individual and have a goal of reducing the risk of wildfire to people, property and infrastructure in the WUI and therefore projects must be located within, or within close proximity to, the WUI as defined in the Colorado Forest Atlas WUI Map Layer. For capacity-building projects, the primary proposed efforts that will occur from using grant funds must occur within or within close proximity to the WUI. The following individuals, organizations or entities may apply:

• Local community groups such as homeowner, neighborhood or property associations;
• Local government entities including counties, municipalities, fire protection districts and other special districts;
• Public or private utilities, including water providers;
• State agencies; and
• Non-profit groups.

In addition, all applicants must:

• Be able to function as the fiscal agent and have legal authority to administer and/or implement treatments on proposed project area(s);
• Confirm that participating landowner(s) agree to reporting and monitoring requirements;
• Comply with all applicable federal and state environmental laws;

Follow Colorado Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) during project implementation. Use of other BMP standards or guidelines must be reviewed and approved by the local CSFS Field Office.

Two types of projects are eligible for funding: 1) Fuels & Forest Health and 2) Capacity Building. Separate applications must be submitted for the two project types. Projects may be located on one or more ownership types. Projects that include federal lands must maintain continuity (within 1-mile) across a landscape including federal lands, and the total federal acres must be less than the combined total of non-federal acres. All grant funds must be used on lands within the state of Colorado.

Fuels & Forest Health Projects

Fuels & forest health projects must strategically reduce the potential risk for damage to property, infrastructure, water supplies and other high-valued assets as a result of wildfire and/or limit the probability of wildfires spreading into populated areas. Projects must promote forest health through scientifically based forestry practices that restore ecosystem functions, structures and species composition.

Fuels & Forest Health Projects must meet the following criteria:

Reduce Hazardous Fuels

Successful projects will facilitate and implement strategic fuels treatment at a meaningful scale in Colorado WUI areas at risk of wildfire. All projects should be designed to reduce the potential wildfire risk to property, infrastructure, water supplies and other high-value assets, and/or limit the probability of wildfires spreading into populated areas. Projects must include a plan to utilize saleable woody materials where applicable, as well as a plan to remove and dispose of slash and non-merchantable materials generated from project work. Successful applicants will consider all elements required to implement treatments on the ground, including acquiring necessary permits and consultations from forestry and/or wildfire experts.

Examples of qualifying project elements

• Creation or maintenance of defensible space around homes and structures based on current CSFS defensible space guidelines
• Creation or maintenance of fuelbreaks based on current CSFS fuelbreak guidelines
• Fuels reduction by various appropriate methods, including mechanical thinning, prescribed fire and others, designed to protect water supplies and/or reduce potential fire intensity
• Removal of saleable woody materials with specific utilization plans
• Removal/disposal of slash and non-merchantable materials using methods such as chipping, mulching, grinding, pile burning, broadcast burning or mechanical removal

Promote Forest Health

Projects should incorporate forest restoration and management techniques, based on current science applicable to the forest type(s) being treated. Proposals should include existing ecological conditions and desired future conditions for project areas. Existing ecological conditions relevant to this grant program may include highly erodible soils on slopes that may affect water quality, over-stocked forests that increase wildfire risk, stands of unhealthy trees, reduced water yields, and low species and structural diversity. The desired future conditions should promote the healthy function, structure and composition of essential ecosystem components. Essential ecosystem components may include tree age and size class diversity, tree species diversity, desired forest cover and tree density in relation to water quality and quantity and wildfire risk, and water quality associated with soil erosion.

Examples of qualifying project elements

• Reducing fuel loads and excessive competition among trees
• Restoring ecosystem function, structure and species composition, including through the reduction of non-native and/or invasive species populations
• Preserving older and larger trees to restore ecosystem function or for ecological value, based on scientific research
• Replanting trees in deforested areas that have been negatively affected by wildfire, insects and disease, or other large-scale disturbance.

Capacity Building

Capacity building projects must increase community capacity by providing the community with the resources and staffing necessary to plan and implement forest restoration and wildfire risk mitigation projects. Capacity grants will be limited to 25% of the total available grant funds.

Successful applicants will describe how funding will support capacity expansion to plan and implement forest restoration and wildfire risk mitigation projects including community and partner outreach and engagement, identifying priority project areas, prescription planning and acquiring community equipment that will address unmet implementation needs at the local level. Capacity grant applications should clearly describe how the capacity building efforts will be sustained to promote implementation of treatments beyond the life of the initial project. Capacity building projects that include equipment purchases should address applicable training and safety measures for the use of equipment. The expectation is that equipment will be used and maintained by the awardee for a minimum of five years following the grant.

Examples of qualifying project elements

• The purchase and use of equipment for implementation of hazardous fuels reduction treatments, including the removal and utilization of slash and/or other woody biomass (e.g., purchasing a wood chipper to be made available to communities)
• Outreach efforts to plan forest restoration and wildfire risk mitigation projects, including project prioritization and project prescription development
• Increased staffing or related capacity building for collaborative and/or community groups that support planning and implementation of forest restoration and wildfire risk mitigation projects

Examples of FRWRM project elements that DO NOT qualify

• Capacity building for fire preparedness and suppression (e.g., the purchase of fire department equipment)
• Education and outreach efforts that do not directly lead to fuels reduction
• Construction of permanent infrastructure (e.g., of buildings or roads)
• Local, state or federal policy development or advocacy
• Projects undertaken by and benefitting only one individual

Utilize Forest Products/Woody Materials

Project applicants must include in their proposal a defined plan for removing and utilizing forest products/woody materials generated by the project, including as traditional forest products and/or biomass energy products. For further information on wood utilization, consult Colorado Wood Utilization and Marketing (CoWood). In addition to CoWood, CSFS field offices are available to offer technical expertise to applicants in the development of forest products/wood utilization plans. It is required that wood utilization businesses or companies are consulted throughout the development of project proposals to identify effective forest product utilization plans.

Strategic Proposals

Proposed projects must be strategic in nature to maximize the effectiveness of this grant program. Strategic proposals will include aspects such as the following:

1. Implementation across land ownership boundaries
2. Projects conducted within higher priority areas identified in the 2020 Colorado State Forest Action Plan* (Accessed in the Colorado Forest Atlas, Forest Action Plan 2020 or Wildfire Risk Reduction Planner applications with Composite Priority Map theme enabled).
3. Project areas with previously completed Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) or FEMA Hazard Mitigation Plan. Consult the list of approved CWPPs.
4. Projects that are part of a larger landscape-scale treatment effort
5. Projects that include, or are in geographic proximity to, public lands that have been recently treated or are planned for treatment

*The 2020 Colorado State Forest Action Plan is required by the 2008 Farm Bill to help guide where the CSFS directs resources to best focus forest management efforts and achieve desired future conditions. It is available in the Colorado Forest Atlas. Applicants should launch the Forest Action Plan 2020 application or the Wildfire Risk Reduction Planner application to review the 2020 Colorado Forest Action Plan data and associated documentation. To access this application an account must be requested for the Colorado Forest Atlas. This account is free of charge and is usually approved within 24 hours of receiving the request.

County Level Coordination

Applicants must coordinate proposed projects with relevant county officials to ensure consistency with county-level wildfire risk reduction planning. The application should identify which officials were consulted and the outcome of those discussions. All grant applications must include a letter signed by a county official indicating support for the project. For purposes of this grant, permissible county officials include county commissioners, representatives from the sheriff’s office, county foresters or forestry staff, or county wildfire coordinators.

Preference will be given to applicants that include the following elements in their projects:

Leveraged Resources and Collaboration

Projects should substantially leverage additional financial resources when possible, and/or be identified through a community-based collaborative process such as a CWPP, Critical Community Watershed Wildfire Protection Plan, FEMA approved hazard mitigation plan, or similar.

Adoption of Local Measures to Reduce Wildfire Risk

Preference will be given to applicants that adopt local measures that reduce wildfire risks to people, property and infrastructure that complement funds provided through the program.

Examples of adoption of local measures

• Existing CWPPs or similar plans (plans less than 5 years old receive greater preference)
• Adoption of, or plans to adopt, county or local building codes for wildfire mitigation
• Wildfire Mitigation Overlay Zoning
• Participation in Firewise USA® program
• Demonstrated ongoing citizen outreach and education about wildfire risk
• Hazard mitigation planning
• Forest management planning and implementation
• Existing slash/mulch collection or chipping programs

Partnerships with Youth or Veterans’ Groups

Applicants are encouraged, where feasible, to use the labor of an accredited Colorado Youth Corps organization, operated by the Colorado Youth Corps Association (CYCA) or an accredited Colorado Corps program serving veterans. Consider contacting one of these groups directly to determine if your project is a good fit for their labor pool. If you have been in contact with a group and it is determined that your project is a good fit, please provide a letter of support from either the CYCA or other affiliated organization to confirm that you will be partnering with them during this project. Support letter is required to receive additional preference.  

Protection of Water Supplies

Projects including forest treatments that also result in the protection of water supplies will receive additional preference. This objective can be achieved by reducing the risk of wildfire to watersheds or to water treatment and/or storage facilities and through forest management practices including (but not limited to) thinning, selective harvest, clearcutting, chipping, mastication and planting trees in deforested areas.

The CSFS estimates that approximately $7.2 million is available for the 2024-2025 grant cycle. The CSFS reserves the right to award full or partial funding to successful applicants.

Budget requests must be clearly explained in the budget narrative section of the grant application. A description of specific outcomes generated by the proposed budget and methods for successfully expending resources within the proposed timeline will be required.

Note: Grant funds cannot be used for volunteer labor, homeowner labor, personnel coordination, or grant administration activities such as compiling paperwork; however, those activities are valuable and can be considered as match.

Matching Funds

Applicants must demonstrate an ability to match 50% of the total project cost (grant + match) or 25% of the total project cost if located in an area of fewer economic resources. Researchers at Colorado State University, Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics and the Rocky Mountain Research Station assisted the CSFS in defining and developing a social vulnerability index (SVI) to wildland fire in Colorado to identify areas of fewer economic resources in the state. Applicants can determine if proposed projects are located within an area of fewer economic resources by using the Colorado Forest Atlas web mapping applications. Detailed instructions are in the FRWRM Application.

Applications with a project area located partially or fully within an area of fewer economic resources, as defined by the SVI, will be eligible for a reduced match and required to demonstrate an ability to match the requested amount at a 3:1 grant to match ratio. Total project costs should be no more than 75% from the grant and at least 25% from match. All applications with projects not located in an area of fewer economic resources will be required to demonstrate an ability to match the requested amount on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Total project costs should be no more than 50% from the grant and at least 50% from match.

Matching contributions can be cash, in-kind contributions or a combination of cash and in-kind contributions, and they may be in the form of private, local government, state or federal support for the project. State funds may be used as match; however, no more than 50% of the applicant’s matching funds can come from another state funding source, unless the applicant is a state agency. In-kind contributions must be clearly quantified and justified in the budget narrative section of the grant application. In-kind contributions may consist of donated supplies, equipment or volunteer time/sweat equity (based on hourly value). Donated time should be accounted for using current volunteer labor rates ($34.36/hour per individual for 2024).

Revenue

Any revenue or cost offsets generated by the project must be clearly explained in the budget section and be factored into the grant request. For example, if the treatment cost is $3,000 per acre but utilization will decrease the cost to $2,500 per acre, show the $500 per acre as revenue, request funding based on the $2,500 per acre, and explain the reasoning within the budget section.

Successful applicants will receive a pre-award letter and will then work with the CSFS to finalize approved project activities. Activities deemed to be unachievable may be modified or removed from the final award. Pre-award applicants will provide electronic map boundaries of project areas (i.e., shapefile), work with the CSFS to obtain any required licenses for CSFS to enter private lands and allow the CSFS to conduct pre-monitoring site visits prior to beginning project work, if necessary. Successful applicants will be reimbursed for actual (cash) costs incurred in implementing the project only after:

1. CSFS has inspected project area(s) and confirmed that activities outlined in approved award packet have been completed
2. Required reporting and reimbursement paperwork and documentation has been accurately completed and submitted
3. Documentation that project funds have been matched at the approved minimum ratio has been submitted.

New! Grant recipients will be required to submit spatial map data (e.g., shapefiles) with each reimbursement request, indicating the completed project work. A final report, using the CSFS-provided template, will be required at the completion of the project. Final award packets will include details on reporting requirements.

Agreement for CSFS Monitoring

While there is significant science supporting the value of fuels and forest health treatments for reducing wildfire risk and promoting forest resilience, forest ecosystems are dynamic, and new fuels and forest health treatments continue to be developed. The effects of current and novel forestry activities need to be evaluated, and the best method for achieving this is through monitoring on-the-ground efforts. CSFS-led long-term monitoring is an important component of this grant program and will demonstrate the relative efficacy of various treatments as well as the utility of grant resources. The CSFS will work with successful project applicants to conduct project monitoring and certification site visits to assess effectiveness and completion of projects. Successful project applicants will authorize the CSFS access to the project site for two years post-treatment to monitor the effectiveness of hazardous fuels reduction and forest health treatments.

Successful applicants will be asked to share their grant award(s) through a local press release. Press release templates and program talking points will be made available by the CSFS for applicants to use.

The 2024-2025 application period closed Oct. 10, 2024. 

Request for applications (RFA) release – August 1, 2024
Application deadline – October 10, 2024, 5:00 pm MDT
Anticipated pre-award date – February 5, 2025
Final award/project start date – March 31, 2025
Project completion deadline – March 31, 2029

Applications will be independently scored by a Technical Advisory Panel convened by the CSFS. The valuation/scoring criteria used to score fuels reduction and forest health projects and capacity building applications are attached at the end of the respective applications. The Technical Advisory Panel, as mandated through SB 17-050, will recommend to the CSFS State Forester which proposed projects should be funded, and all final funding decisions will be made by the State Forester.

• Colorado Forest Atlas – Information on CO Priority Areas and Areas of Fewer Economic Resources
• Information on the Colorado Youth Corps
• CSFS guidelines for Defensible Space and Fuelbreaks
• Forestry Best Management Practices to Protect Water Quality in Colorado
• Colorado Wood Utilization and Marketing Program (CoWood)
• Colorado Timber Industry Association
• Principles & Practices for Restoration of Ponderosa Pine & Dry Mixed-Conifer Forests of the Colorado Front Range (gtr 373)
• Forest Restoration in the Southwest (gtr 310)
• To Masticate or Not: Useful Tips for Treating Forest, Woodland, and Shrub Vegetation (gtr 381)
• Mulching: A Knowledge Summary and Guidelines for Best Practices on Colorado’s Front Range
• 2020 Colorado State Forest Action Plan
• Collaborative Readiness: Preparing Landscapes and Communities to Receive and Recover from Wildfire
• Tree Map 2016: Combination of FIA Data and LandFire Data to estimate structural attributes for 30x30m pixels across all forested land

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