State grant funds community wildfire mitigation

28 August 2019

USA – GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO/KJCT)— The Colorado State Forest Service has announced new grant money is available for communities that want to reduce wildfire risk, and keep forests healthy.

It’s called the Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation Grant Program, and the idea is to fund community projects that reduce wildfire risk to property, and infrastructure.

The grant is for people and property in wildland urban interface areas, or places where unoccupied land meets human development.

There’s $1,000,000 available, but the maximum amount you can apply for is $250,000 dollars, and groups have to give a 50% match either in cash, or services.

One neighbor says he’s interested in this, after he watched the Rosevale Fire burn near his house in 2018.

“It got started, and was quite quick before it got into the trees along these ditch banks and so forth…and mitigation, if we got rid of some of those fuels, it would probably help quite a bit,” said Redlands Resident, Steve Elsmore.

This grant is for groups like neighborhood HOA’s and state agencies, and projects will be given emphasis if they are through a community wildfire protection plan.

Applications for the grant have to be sent in to the Colorado State Forest Service by October 23rd at 5 pm.

28. August 2019/by GFMCadmin