Forest Restoration & Wildfire Mitigation
Cost-share for wildfire mitigation & forest resilience projects
Why We Do Wildfire Mitigation
Due to wildfire suppression and other management legacies, current forest conditions do not reflect those that existed historically. Today, tree densities are significantly higher and species composition has shifted, leading to a loss of complexity and variation.
As a result, forest landscapes are more vulnerable to extreme wildfire conditions and disease. Loss of variety also hinders the ecosystems ability to support healthy plant and wildlife habitat and clean water.
By implementing Forest Restoration plans - which often includes prescribed burning and/or thinning trees and shrubs - we can reduce fuel loads and help our forests return to a more resilient and diverse state.
About the Program
MCD primarily works with private landowners to implement forest restoration projects on mid- to large-sized acreages in Montezuma County. We provide grant-funded cost-share opportunities to make forest restoration accessible to all. To further simplify the process on your end, our Forestry team will also manage logistics, including:
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MCD will secure an operator through a competitive bidding process. Our primary goals are to ensure that costs are accessible and that the contractor suits the landscape and landowner’s priorities.
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An MCD Forester will write a Forest Management Plan (FMP) specific to the landscape, ecosystem needs, and your desired future conditions.
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The MCD Forestry Team will see the project through from beginning to end, ensuring work is implemented according to the management plan.
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The MCD Forestry Team conducting pre-implementation monitoring to evaluate forest conditions prior to work on the ground. We also offer post-implementation monitoring, if the landowner wants to participate in continued monitring efforts.
Sustaining Healthy, Resilient Forests
Wildfire is inevitable, but we can reduce its severity by adapting forest conditions through selective thinning and other mechanical treatments, which reduce wildfire risk and create more resilient forests. Professional forestry contractors with heavy equipment are necessary to safely and efficiently cut and remove the number of trees needed to have a meaningful impact on the forest.
A History of Fire
Forest in Southwest Colorado, particularly Ponderosa Pine forests are fire adapted ecosystems.
Historically, low-severity fires were a common and natural occurrence in low elevation Ponderosa stands. These frequent fire regimes would thin understory vegetation, reducing ladder fuels and creating more space between existing tree groups and individuals.
Fire is still a natural part of these ecosystems, but suppression over the last one hundred years has greatly contributed to current forest conditions - far more trees exist in today’s low elevation Western forests than did prior to Euro-American settlement in the West. This has led to more frequent and higher severity fires.
Interested in a Forestry project?If you are interested in wildfire mitigation or wish to learn more about the process, the Mancos Conservation District Forestry Coordinator would be happy to chat with you!