BLM-CO Community Fire and Hazardous Fuels Reduction Program | L17AS00111

BLM-CO Community Fire and Hazardous Fuels Reduction Program (BLM Colorado State Office) - FAQs

1) What is the BLM-CO Community Fire and Hazardous Fuels Reduction Program?

It is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado State Office funding opportunity focused on reducing the likelihood and impacts of catastrophic wildfire in Colorado, especially in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) where communities meet or border flammable wildlands.

2) What is the main goal of this grant opportunity?

The main goal is to protect lives, homes, community assets, wildlife habitat, and critical infrastructure, while improving overall public safety and firefighter safety through coordinated wildfire risk reduction efforts.

3) What types of activities does the program fund?

The opportunity supports four broad categories of work:

• Community wildfire protection assessment and planning (including CWPP development/maintenance and identifying monitoring and maintenance needs)
• Fire education, training, and community action programs (household and neighborhood prevention/mitigation)
• Direct hazardous fuels reduction treatments (on public and private lands, using multiple treatment methods)
• Long-term community capability and capacity-building (training, engagement, and fire-adapted community strategies)

4) What is meant by the wildland-urban interface (WUI) in this program?

The WUI refers to areas where communities meet or border flammable wildlands. The program places particular emphasis on these areas because wildfire risk and potential impacts to people and structures are often highest there.

5) Does the program support Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs)?

Yes. The planning component includes developing or maintaining CWPPs, conducting assessments that document wildfire threats, and identifying monitoring and long-term maintenance needed after initial treatments.

6) What is included under "community wildfire protection assessment and planning"?

This includes conducting local or regional assessments to document wildfire threats, developing or maintaining CWPPs, and identifying how treated areas will be monitored and maintained over the long term so communities remain protected after initial work is complete.

7) What kinds of education and training activities are supported?

The program funds education, training, and community action efforts that strengthen prevention and mitigation at the household and neighborhood level. Examples described include outreach and education promoting combustible vegetation management, structural ignition prevention, and creating and maintaining defensible space around homes and infrastructure.

8) What is "structural ignition prevention" as described in the opportunity?

Structural ignition prevention refers to steps that make buildings less likely to ignite from embers and radiant heat during a wildfire, which is highlighted as part of household and neighborhood-level mitigation and preparedness.

9) What is "defensible space" in the context of this program?

Defensible space refers to the creation and upkeep of a safer area around homes and infrastructure to reduce wildfire impacts. The opportunity emphasizes defensible space as a practical mitigation measure that complements broader fuels work on surrounding landscapes.

10) Are on-the-ground hazardous fuels reduction treatments eligible?

Yes. Direct hazardous fuels reduction treatments are a core element of the program and may take place on both public and private lands.

11) What treatment methods are explicitly mentioned as eligible?

The announcement explicitly includes manual and mechanical thinning, chemical or biological treatments where appropriate, and prescribed fire (including broadcast burning and pile burning).

12) Does the program support prescribed fire?

Yes. Prescribed fire is explicitly included, including broadcast burning and pile burning.

13) Can projects include work that crosses public and private land boundaries?

Yes. Projects are described as cooperative and cross-boundary in nature, often spanning both public and private lands, because wildfire risk does not stop at property boundaries.

14) What outcomes are fuels reduction treatments intended to achieve?

Treatments are intended to reduce fuel loads and alter fire behavior so future fires are less likely to become severe, fast-moving, or uncontrollable. They may also remove undesirable vegetation or species, improve forest stand conditions, and in some cases improve forage conditions.

15) Does the program support structural or landscape modifications near valued assets?

Yes. The opportunity includes structural and landscape modifications that help create defensible space and improve protection around valued assets.

16) What does "building long-term community capability" mean in this opportunity?

It refers to expanding a community's ability to prevent and prepare for wildfire over time, including engaging community members in best practices, providing training to local groups (businesses, community organizations, residents, schools, nonprofits, and trade groups), and supporting strategies associated with fire-adapted communities.

17) Who is the issuing agency for this funding opportunity?

The opportunity was issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, specifically the BLM Colorado State Office.

18) What is the funding mechanism used for awards?

Funding is offered through cooperative agreements.

19) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is listed under CFDA 15.228 (Natural Resources).

20) Is this opportunity discretionary or formula-based?

The opportunity is categorized as discretionary.

21) How many awards are anticipated?

The announcement anticipates roughly five awards.

22) What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling) per project?

The award ceiling is $200,000 per project.

23) Is the program limited to a single fiscal year?

The opportunity was tied to fiscal year 2017 funding, but the notice explains that additional or follow-on funding could be added in later fiscal years if Congress appropriates funds or continuing resolutions are enacted.

24) Can an initial award be increased later if more funds become available?

Yes. The notice indicates incremental funding may be added to an initial award when funds are available, and applicants are encouraged to propose projects that can scale over time.

25) What approach does the program encourage when designing projects?

The program encourages coordinated, cooperative, cross-jurisdictional projects that pair physical fuels treatments with planning, education, and capacity-building so benefits are measurable, durable, and shared across public and private lands.

26) What is the funding opportunity number for this announcement?

The funding opportunity number is L17AS00111.

27) What are the key dates listed for this opportunity?

The source data lists a creation date of May 19, 2017, and an original application closing date of July 24, 2017.

28) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of entity types may apply, subject to any clarifications in the official eligibility language.

29) Does the opportunity emphasize partnerships and cooperation?

Yes. Projects are intended to be cooperative, bringing together organizations and partners across local, state, tribal, and federal levels.

30) Why does the program emphasize cross-boundary work?

Because wildfire risk does not stop at property boundaries, the program is designed to support projects that coordinate across jurisdictions and land ownerships to reduce wildfire risk more effectively.