The purpose of the non-federal lands hazard mitigation funds in montana is to reduce the potential for catastrophic wildfire to private, state, and local lands within watersheds that contain federal…

The Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation received a $770,800 Project Grant award on July 24, 2025, under the State & Private Forestry Hazardous Fuel Reduction Program (CFDA 10.697), administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Region 1 – Northern Region. The grant will support hazardous fuel reduction and wildfire mitigation activities on non-federal lands in Montana through June 30, 2030. Primary deliverables include implementing fuel mitigation treatments on prioritized private, state, and local lands within the wildland-urban interface and in watersheds containing National Forest System lands. Activities will focus on reducing catastrophic wildfire risk to communities and protecting federal lands by treating approximately 507,611 priority acres identified in Montana's 2020 Forest Action Plan and Wildfire Risk Assessment.

Hazard mitigation work will be strategically implemented in high-risk fire sheds and areas aligned with Wildfire Crisis Strategy landscapes, utilizing treatment methods such as mechanical thinning, prescribed burning, mastication, and hand treatments. The project will prioritize landscape-scale fuel reduction efforts in areas where treatments complement active federal forest management projects and enhance wildfire suppression effectiveness. Implementation will be guided by community wildfire protection plans and the statewide risk assessment to ensure maximum benefit to resources at risk and increased resilience of wildland-urban interface communities.

The purpose of the non-federal lands hazard mitigation funds in montana is to reduce the potential for catastrophic wildfire to private, state, and local lands within watersheds that contain federal lands. In 2020, montanas forest action plan and statewide montana wildfire risk assessment were completed. These documents guide the non federal lands hazard mitigation project area delivery in montana by prioritizing treatment in strategic locations that provide the maximum benefit to the resources at risk. Implementing hazard mitigation treatment on prioritized private, state, and local land provides benefits to federal national forest system lands, increasing the success of wildfire suppression efforts and response times after hazardous fuels along roadside ingress and egress routes are reduced. The 2020 montana forest action plan identified 507,611 priority acres in the wildland urban interface in need of immediate treatment to reduce wildfire risk to communities. The 2020 montana wildfire risk assessment evaluated wildfire risk to structures at the hydrologic unit code 6 watershed boundary level. Wildfire mitigation projects will be implemented in priority areas that protect communities within the wildland urban interface in watersheds that contain national forest system land with active forest management projects that have the potential to place wildland urban interface communities at risk to wildfire. The wildland urban interface will be defined by local community wildfire protection plans updated within the last five years, or by definitions where a recent update is absent. The 2020 montanas forest action plan and statewide montana wildfire risk assessment will be used to prioritize fuel mitigation treatment supported by non-federal lands hazard mitigation funding. Additionally, projects which align with wildfire crisis strategy landscapes or are within high-risk fire sheds will be considered for prioritized funding commitments. Hazard mitigation activities will commence september 2025. Treatment work will be completed prior to the expiration of these federal funds, while prioritizing projects which can be completed within three years. In alignment with previous non-federal lands hazard mitigation funding, proposes an end date of 5 years after the execution date of the federal award. This non-federal lands hazard mitigation funding will provide critical support to strategically located projects that provide optimum protection benefits to the highest values at risk on priority wildland urban interface acres identified in the 2020 montana forest action plan and statewide montana wildfire risk assessment. These priority projects on non federal land will provide benefits to federal lands within the same watersheds by increasing wildfire initial attack suppression success through fuel mitigation treatment, helping to save american lives and communities and providing technical assistance to landowners regarding how they can reduce human caused wildfire, the leading cause of wildfire ignition in montana. The primary performance target for this program is effective mitigation of fuel hazards on non federal land, measured in acres treated, which is accomplished through projects directly administered by state of montana department of natural resources and conservation personnel and or in partnership with conservation organizations. Funds will be expended in the following budget categories: personnel, fringe benefits, travel, supplies, other, and indirect costs. The other category will include any sub awards to partnering conservation organizations to manage and administer qualified mitigation projects, as well as any projects grants directly to landowner beneficiaries. The personnel, travel, and supplies budget categories will reflect expenditures for staff to manage the mitigation projects and subaward agreements, as well as monitoring, reporting and other administrative tasks. Indirect cost will be assessed.