Council committee forwards prescribed‑fire bill to full council after questions on fund and qualifications

The Colorado Forest Health Council legislative committee on Jan. 24 voted to forward to the full council a bill aimed at expanding the use of prescribed fire across the state.

James, a staff presenter, described the bill as establishing a prescribed-fire cash fund seeded with a $1,000,000 appropriation and creating a claims‑style pool paid by plan participants and supplemental gifts, grants or legislative appropriations. "Basically, from a very top level, what this bill is trying to do is getting more prescribed fire on the landscape, and it's doing it in 2 different ways," James said.

Committee members pressed for detail. Mark Morgan asked whether the fund has an upper cap and who would defend or litigate claims against the fund; James said the current draft includes no statutory cap, that plan‑approval fees could be low ("$100 or less"), and that the fund can grow via gifts, grants and future appropriations. Commissioner Veronica Medina said she would not feel comfortable voting to support the bill until the fire commission's questions about certified‑burner qualifications and other technical details are answered.

Nut graf: The bill proposes to lower barriers to prescribed burning by expanding reciprocity for burn managers and providing a financial backstop for mishaps. Supporters including The Nature Conservancy back the measure as a way to scale up treatments; however, state fire authorities have signaled concern about increased insurance exposure if certification requirements are loosened.

In discussion, members recommended inviting representatives from the Division of Fire Prevention & Control or the prescribed‑fire subcommittee to brief the council before a final position is taken. The committee approved a motion to forward the bill to the full Forest Health Council for further discussion and possible action at the Feb. 6 meeting.

The committee did not take a formal position on the bill; instead it voted to send it along with a request for additional technical briefings and for staff to circulate related presentations and materials to members before the full council meets.

Next steps: DFPC or subcommittee staff are expected to be asked to present technical details, and the full council will consider a formal position on Feb. 6.