SB-13-269 Summary

• Creates a competitive grant program administered by the Department of Natural Resources to fund hazardous forest fuel reduction treatments in Colorado's wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas.

• Establishes a Wildfire Risk Reduction Fund with an initial $9.8 million transfer from the General Fund on July 1, 2013, with up to 25% dedicated to capacity-building and up to 5% for program monitoring and effectiveness measurement.

• Requires grant applicants to provide dollar-for-dollar matching funds (no more than 50% from state sources) and submit plans for utilizing woody materials generated by projects, including traditional forest products and biomass energy.

• Creates an eight-member advisory committee with representatives from universities, state agencies, local government, federal land managers, forest products industries, nonprofits, and water management expertise to develop eligibility criteria, score proposals, and award grants.

• Repeals the grant program effective July 1, 2018, with the Department of Natural Resources reporting annually to legislative committees on acres treated, cost per acre, material tonnage, jobs created, and forest product utilization.