Non federal lands hazardous fuels reduction grant 2024

This $1,450,000 Project Grant award by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service supports the State & Private Forestry Hazardous Fuel Reduction Program (CFDA 10.697). The award will fund hazardous fuel reduction treatments on 78.8 acres of private and municipal property within the Village of Cloudcroft, New Mexico. Key activities include reducing overstory tree density, removing hazardous and diseased trees, and mitigating surface and ladder fuels to create defensible space around homes and structures. The project aims to mitigate wildfire risks within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) by improving forest health and resilience. A sub-award to the County of Otero will oversee the implementation of these fuel reduction treatments, with landowners being reimbursed up to $3,800 per acre for the work. This grant award is part of the Forest Service's broader Wildfire Crisis Strategy to treat up to 30 million acres of non-federal lands to address hazardous fuel loads and reduce the potential for large, destructive wildfires.