Help is available to reduce the cost of wildfire mitigation work (thinning the green)
Black Forest Together has received a grant, from the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, to reduce the cost of neighborhood projects that remove green vegetation to improve survivable space around homes, and reduce the chance of another extreme wildfire. This grant will only support projects to cut green fuels, not remove burned vegetation (“black sticks”).
Here is how your neighborhood can potentially take advantage of this opportunity:
- Identify a neighborhood point of contact.
- Organize your neighborhood. All you need is a group of at least five adjacent neighbors (more is better) who’ve agreed to work on wildfire mitigation as a team, and to look at your neighborhood as a single large project. You do NOT need to have a homeowners’ association or other formal organization, but forming a Firewise Community is highly recommended. To help explain this opportunity to your neighbors, download this short DNR grant information handout that you can print or email.
- Agree to provide some cash and labor. Grant funding can significantly reduce the costs that property owners face when doing mitigation projects. The exact cost of each project (and your neighborhood’s portion of that cost) will depend on many things, such as the shape of your terrain, the size of the project, and the work needed. Your neighborhood will not be obligated for any costs until all these details are worked out and clearly explained to you.
- Contact Black Forest Together. As soon as you’ve formed a group of neighbors who are ready to work together, contact Ken Clark, our Director of Forest Recovery and Restoration, Monday-Friday between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm: 719-495-2933 (office), 325-370-5042 (cell), or kclark.bft@gmail.com. Ken can also answer your questions about planning a project or organizing a Firewise Community.
