State and federal wildfire grants draw praise and spotlights on capacity and match hurdles

At a Colorado Forest Health Council meeting, Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) staff reviewed state and federal wildfire grant programs and answered questions about program rules, monitoring and implementation challenges.

CSFS Forestry Program Specialist Kayla Montrose described the state FOREWRM grant program (a consolidation of the former Colorado Forest Restoration Grant and a Department of Natural Resources wildfire risk‑reduction grant). She said FOREWRM supports two project types—fuels and forest health projects and capacity‑building projects that fund planning, staffing or equipment—and requires a 50% match for most projects with reduced match opportunities in areas identified as higher need using the Colorado Forest Atlas social vulnerability layer. Montrose said proposals receive preference for additional financial leverage, adoption of local risk‑reduction measures such as community wildfire protection plans (CWPPs) or Firewise USA participation, partnerships with youth or veterans groups, and projects that protect water supplies.

“We allow two different project types,” Montrose said, describing how the program funds both on‑the‑ground fuels work and up‑front capacity that helps communities prepare projects for…