The Colorado State Forest Service will dole out $1 million in matching funds for forest restoration projects (continued)

The county plans to apply for “a couple hundred thousand” dollars to augment its existing grant program, which awards matching money to local HOAs and other property owners for fuel reduction projects, said interim county manager Steve Hill.

The Board of County Commissioners established the grant program last year, divvying up $50,000 among property owners in high risk areas as identified in the wildfire protection plan. This year, the funding was increased to $140,000. Any state money the county receives would beef up the county’s pool of money allowing more local property owners a chance at financial assistance for forest projects.
Hill believes the county’s model is successful and is optimistic at the chance to secure some of the grant money.

“I think to some degree the state’s looking for projects that really show how these dollars can improve life safety and reduce wildfire risk in real life situations,” Hill said.
But, with damage from the pine beetle growing exponentially in the state, the Colorado State Forest Service is expecting the applications to pour in.

“It’s going to be very competitive, we can count on that,” said Ron Cousineau, Colorado State Forest Service district forester for Summit, Grand and Eagle counties.
The Colorado State Forest Service is responsible for administering the grant money, which will come from the same funds that pay for projects under the state’s annual water bill. For that reason, there is a strong emphasis on restoration projects that protect state watersheds.

Proposals can be on any combination of private, federal, state, county or municipal forest property. The state’s contribution is capped at 60 percent of each project.
A technical advisory panel will be formed to evaluate the grant applications.
Applications are due by 4 p.m. on July 27 and can be obtained at www.csfs.colostate.edu.

Nicole Formosa can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at nformosa@summitdaily.com.

Forum on forest health funding
Colorado Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald will headline a community forum on forest health funding at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Summit County Community & Senior Center. Other panelists are Trudy Kareus, U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar’s regional director for the Western Slope; Paul Orbuch, assistant director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources; Mark Mathis, president of Confluence Energy LLC, which is building a $10 million plant in Kremmling that will use beetle kill material to produce wood pellets for home heating; and Joe Duda, the forest management division supervisor for the Colorado State Forest Service, which is the administrator for the $1 million in state funds for forest improvement projects.