Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program
The Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program (COSWAP) was created after the devastating 2020 fire season by the Colorado legislature through the bi-partisan supported SB21-258. After a successful grant cycle, the program was permanently funded in the 2023 legislative session. While housed within the Department of Natural Resources, COSWAP was collaboratively designed by representatives from the Colorado State Forest Service and the Division of Fire Prevention and Control. This partnership helps ensure the program aligns with other state work and priorities.
Our Grants
COSWAP supports wildfire risk reduction in Colorado with two programs. First, the Workforce Development Grant Program provides supported, entry level training opportunities and experience for individuals interested in wildfire mitigation and forestry. These workforce development crews are available for mitigation work in select areas. In the spirit of workforce development, COSWAP also funds mitigation trainings.
Secondly, COSWAP’s Landscape Resilience Investment funding makes targeted investments in strategic focus areas through landscape scale fuels mitigation projects.
Workforce Development Grant
The COSWAP Workforce Development Grant makes two types of awards. Crew time awards are granted to applicants for wildfire mitigation projects that protect life, property and infrastructure. The Department of Corrections’ State Wildland Inmate Fire Team (SWIFT) crews or Colorado Youth Corps Association (CYCA) accredited conservation corps crews are paid by COSWAP directly to reduce administrative burden on the grantee. Grantees who wish to work with an independent conservation corps can request a cash grant to hire the corps directly. These crews are foremost focused on workforce development, and the objective of these partnerships is to develop the pipeline of individuals entering Colorado’s mitigation and forestry workforce. An added benefit is that mitigation work is completed for grantees. Managing mitigation projects can incur additional costs including project management, equipment rentals, and crew support, so applicants may also request funds to cover these expenses.
Training is another important part of workforce development. COSWAP awards cash grants to groups looking to receive mitigation training.
CYCA Accredited Conservation Corps
COSWAP partners with Colorado Youth Corps Association (CYCA) accredited conservation corps to execute wildfire mitigation projects from 6-25 weeks in duration. When working with a CYCA accredited conservation corps, a grantee will be granted an award of crew time and DNR will pay for the mitigation work directly.
Geographic Scope: Strategic Focus Areas: Rocky Mountain Restoration Initiative focal areas and Boulder, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, La Plata and Teller counties.
Eligible applicants:
- Federal agencies
- State agencies
- Local governments including counties, municipalities, fire protection districts and other special districts
- Tribes
- Public utilities with infrastructure or land ownership in areas of high wildfire risk
- Registered homeowner associations, property owners associations, formal neighborhood associations and road districts
- Wildfire Councils and/or wildfire, watershed or forest collaborative groups
- Non-profit organizations that promote fuel reduction projects, are engaged in prescribed fire projects, or natural resource management
Match: No match required for crew time award; 25% match required for optional cash grant for project management expenses.
Independent Conservation Corps
COSWAP workforce development grants also support mitigation projects completed by independent (non-CYCA accredited) conservation corps. The grant is a cash award of up to $200,000.
Geographic Scope: Strategic Focus Areas: Rocky Mountain Restoration Initiative focal areas and Boulder, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, La Plata and Teller counties.
Eligible applicants:
- Federal agencies
- State agencies
- Local governments including counties, municipalities, fire protection districts and other special districts
- Tribes
- Public utilities with infrastructure or land ownership in areas of high wildfire risk
- Registered homeowner associations, property owners associations, formal neighborhood associations and road districts
- Wildfire Councils and/or wildfire, watershed or forest collaborative groups
- Non-profit organizations that promote fuel reduction projects, are engaged in prescribed fire projects, or natural resource management
Match: Applicant must provide a 25% in-kind or cash match of the award amount.
Department of Corrections (DOC) State Wildland Inmate Fire Teams (SWIFT)
COSWAP partners with DOC SWIFT crews to execute wildfire mitigation projects from 6–25 weeks. When working with a SWIFT crew, a grantee will be granted an award of crew time and DNR will pay for the mitigation work directly.
Geographic Scope: Within a three hour drive of Cañon City.
Eligible applicants:
- Federal agencies
- State agencies
- Local governments including counties, municipalities, fire protection districts and other special districts
- Tribes
- Public utilities with infrastructure or land ownership in areas of high wildfire risk
- Registered homeowner associations, property owners associations, formal neighborhood associations and road districts
- Wildfire Councils and/or wildfire, watershed or forest collaborative groups
- Non-profit organizations that promote fuel reduction projects, are engaged in prescribed fire projects, or natural resource management
Match: No match required for crew time award; 25% match required for optional cash grant for project management expenses.
Workforce Development Training
COSWAP supports training opportunities for mitigation and prescribed fire, including (but not limited to):
- S130/S190/L180
- S212 powersaws
- Prescribed Fire Training Exchanges (TREX)
- Field training for prescription development and treatment implementation
- Advanced tree felling
Geographic Scope: Statewide
Eligible applicants:
- Federal agencies
- State agencies
- Local governments including counties, municipalities, fire protection districts and other special districts
- Tribes
- Public utilities with infrastructure or land ownership in areas of high wildfire risk
- Registered homeowner associations, property owners associations, formal neighborhood associations and road districts
- Wildfire Councils and/or wildfire, watershed or forest collaborative groups
- Non-profit organizations that promote fuel reduction projects, are engaged in prescribed fire projects, or natural resource management
Match: Applicant must provide a 25% in-kind or cash match of the award amount.
| Project name | Awardee | Award type | Award amount | Project value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arapahoe Ranch Fuels Reduction Project | Boulder Watershed Collective | CYCA | 10 weeks | $118,000 |
| Bailey Evacuation Routes Mitigation | Platte Canyon Fire Protection District | Cash grant for mitigation | 300,000 | $300,000 |
| Basalt Shooting Range Hand Thinning | Colorado Parks and Wildlife | DOC-SWIFT | 6 weeks | $64,536 |
| Beaver Creek | Colorado Parks and Wildlife | DOC-SWIFT | 3 weeks | $11,215 |
| Bergen Peak SWA Fire Mitigation | Colorado Parks and Wildlife | CYCA | 6 weeks | $70,800 |
| Berrian Park Mitigation Project | Evergreen Fire Protection District | CYCA | 15 weeks | $177,000 |
| Big Elk Meadows Wildfire Mitigation | Volunteer Fire Department of Big Elk | Cash grant for mitigation | $186,000 | $186,000 |
| Big Thompson Community Wildfire Mitigation Expansion | Big Thompson Watershed Coalition | CYCA | 18 weeks | $198,000 |
| Black Mountain Fire Mitigation | U.S. Forest Service | DOC-SWIFT | 8 weeks | $149,160 |
| Bosque del Oso | Colorado Parks and Wildlife | DOC-SWIFT | 3 weeks | $55,647 |
| Button Rock | City of Longmont | CYCA | 18 weeks | $212,400 |
| Cheyenne Mountain Gambel Oak Thinning | Colorado Parks and Wildlife | CYCA | 8 weeks | $94,400 |
| City Of Pueblo Mitigation | City of Pueblo | DOC-SWIFT | 6 weeks | $65,016 |
| Cub Creek Brook Forest Road Roadside Mitigation | Evergreen Fire Protection District | CYCA | 14 weeks | $165,200 |
| Delta Fire Fuels Mitigation | Delta County | CYCA | 18 weeks | $212,400 |
| Dome Rock | Colorado Parks and Wildlife | DOC-SWIFT | 1 day | $3,120 |
| Evergreen Fire Rescue 103 | Evergreen Fire Protection District | DOC-SWIFT | 7 weeks | $129,843 |
| Game Trail and Trail West Shaded Fuelbreaks | Colorado Firecamp | CYCA | 25 weeks | $295,000 |
| Game Trail and Trail West Shaded Fuelbreaks - Training | Colorado Firecamp | Cash grant for training | $72,208 | $72,208 |
| GCWC Fuel Reduction Project | Grand County Wildfire Council | Cash grant for mitigation | $409,000 | $409,000 |
| GMUG Prescribed Fire Preparation | U.S. Forest Service | CYCA | 7 weeks | $82,600 |
| Grand Valley WUI | Colorado Parks and Wildlife | DOC-SWIFT | 10 weeks | $108,360 |
| Healthy Forest Project | Town of Green Mountain Falls | CYCA | 15 weeks | $177,000 |
| La Plata County Safe Routes | La Plata County | DOC-SWIFT | 10 weeks | $186,258 |
| Lake County Community WUI Project (Phase I) | Lake County | DOC-SWIFT | 25 weeks | $463,725 |
| Lory State Park- FH7 Extension and FH2 Maintenance | Colorado Parks and Wildlife | CYCA | 18 weeks | $212,400 |
| Maintaining Effective Treatments | Jefferson Conservation District | CYCA | 8 weeks | $88,000 |
| Maxwell Fuel Reduction | State Land Board | CYCA | 10 weeks | $118,000 |
| Mountain Zone – Hazardous Fuels Reduction | U.S. Forest Service | CYCA | 10 weeks | $118,000 |
| Mueller State Park- Cheeseman Ranch Area | Colorado Parks and Wildlife | CYCA | 6 weeks | $70,800 |
| NoCo TREX | The Ember Alliance | Cash grant for training | $100,000 | $100,000 |
| NoFloCo Fire Mitigation Posse Training | Indian Creek Property Owners Association | Cash grant for training | $40,865 | $40,865 |
| Pikes Peak State Wildlife Area | Colorado Parks and Wildlife | DOC-SWIFT | 3 weeks | $31,932 |
| Protecting Critical Infrastructure in Riparian WUI/ Grand Junction | City of Grand Junction | Cash grant for mitigation | $185,000 | $185,000 |
| Railroad Bridge Fuels Reduction & Habitat Improvement Project | National Forest Foundation | CYCA | 18 weeks | $212,400 |
| Reduce Fuel Load on La Plata River | Fort Lewis College | CYCA | 10 weeks | $118,000 |
| Restoration and Roadside Thinning | Genesee Foundation | CYCA | 8 weeks | $94,400 |
| Russian olive removal and fuel reduction-Cherry Creek State Park | Colorado Parks and Wildlife | DOC-SWIFT | 8 weeks | $149,928 |
| SCC at Edgemont | La Plata County | CYCA | 8 weeks | $92,100 |
| TeamWorks Crescent Meadows Project | TEENS Inc | Cash grant for independent corps | $100,000 | $100,000 |
| Top of Cheyenne Mountain Fuels Mitigation | Colorado Parks and Wildlife | Cash grant for mitigation | $143,514 | $143,514 |
| Vail Deer Underpass SWA Fuels Reduction & Habitat Treatment | Colorado Parks and Wildlife | DOC-SWIFT | 4 weeks | $42,576 |
| 2023 Droney Gulch Fuel Reduction Project | State Land Board | DOC-SWIFT | 6 weeks | $65,016 |
| Project name | Awardee | Award type | Award amount | Project value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Curtain Burner Training | Larimer County Office of Emergency Management | Cash grant for training | $18,000 | $18,000 |
| Berrian Park Mitigation Project - Phase 2 | Evergreen Fire Protection District | CYCA | 15 weeks | $177,000 |
| Beulah Fire- Mountain Park Shaded Fuel Break | Beulah Fire and Ambulance District | DOC-SWIFT | 9 weeks | $608,102 |
| Chainsaw Training | Larimer County Office of Emergency Management | Cash Grant for training | $73,535 | $73,535 |
| Cheyenne Mountain Gambel Oak Thinning (Phase 2) | Colorado Parks and Wildlife | CYCA | 8 weeks | $94,400 |
| City of Colorado Springs - PRCS Department - Fire Mitigation | City of Colorado Springs | CYCA | 21 weeks | $247,800 |
| City of Pueblo Wildfire Mitigation | City of Pueblo | DOC-SWIFT | 16 weeks | $891,240 |
| Cub Creek Roadside Mitigation | Evergreen Fire Protection District | CYCA | 14 weeks | $165,200 |
| CUSP Crew Training | Coalition for the Upper South Platte | Cash Grant for training | $7,126 | $7,126 |
| CUSP GMF Mitigation | Coalition for the Upper South Platte | DOC-SWIFT | 2 weeks | $110,812 |
| Custer County Team Mitigation | Custer County | Cash Grant for training | $100,000 | $100,000 |
| Genesee Fire Protection District CWPP Implementation | Genesee Fire Protection | CYCA | 8 weeks | $94,400 |
| GMF Healthy Forest Project | Green Mountain Falls | CYCA | 22 weeks | $295,600 |
| Hilldale Pines Fuel Break | Colorado Watershed Assembly | CYCA | 6 weeks | $70,800 |
| Maxwell Park STL - Phase 2 | State Land Board | CYCA | 13 weeks | $153,400 |
| Mueller State Park Cheeseman Ranch Area - Phase 2 | Colorado Parks and Wildlife | CYCA | 8 weeks | $94,400 |
| North St. Vrain Watershed Protection Project | City of Longmont | CYCA | 15 weeks | $177,000 |
| Regional Intermediate Sawyer Training | Mile High Youth Corps | Cash Grant for training | $49,826 | $49,826 |
| Sawyer/S-212 Evaluator Capacity Building | Colorado Firecamp | Cash Grant for training | $99,250 | $99,250 |
| Teamworks Crescent Meadows | Teens Inc. | Cash grant for independent Corps | $200,000 | $200,000 |
| Town of Estes Park Wildfire Mitigation | Estes Valley Fire Protection District | CYCA | 8 weeks | $94,400 |
| Training the Volunteer Mitigation Workforce Colorado Needs and Mitigation Specialist Training | Fire Adapted Colorado | Cash Grant for training | $53,273 | $53,273 |
| Twin Sisters State Trust Land- Phase 1 | State Land Board | CYCA | 5 weeks | $59,000 |
| Wildfire Mitigation Training for Private Landowners | The Ember Alliance | Cash Grant for training | $26,000 | $26,000 |
| Windy Gap Wildfire Mitigation- Phase 1 | Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed | CYCA | 22 weeks | $257,500 |
| WRV Fire Mitigation Capacity Building | Wildland Restoration Volunteers | Cash Grant for training | $92,335 | $92,335 |
| Youth Corp Forest Health Management | Jefferson County Open Space | Cash grant for independent Corps | $60,000 | $60,000 |
Project Snapshots
Priority Fire Mitigation at Green Mountain Falls
The Mile High Youth Corps worked 15 weeks at Green Mountain Falls completing much needed mitigation on the hillside above the community.
DOC SWIFT Reduces Fire Risk in Vail
The Department of Correction's SWIFT crews spent four weeks at a State Wildlife Area outside Vail working on fire mitigation.
Indian Creek Property Owners Association Trains Mitigation Volunteers
The Indian Creek Property Owners Association sent 52 volunteers to receive training at Colorado Fire Camp.
Youth Corps Contribute to Workforce Development
Landscape Resilience Investment Program Information
The Landscape Resilience Investment Program invests funding in targeted mitigation projects in COSWAP’s strategic focus areas. The projects selected for funding are collaboratively developed to meet the greatest needs of the area. In the 2022 funding cycle 10 projects were awarded between $500,000 and $1,000,000 and were matched by $4,000,000. DNR partners with the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute (CFRI) to monitor the effectiveness of the Landscape Resilience Investment projects. Learn more about the Effectiveness Monitoring Plan on CFRI’s website.
2022 Landscape Resilience Investment Awards:
- Boulder County: Phase 1: St. Vrain Forest Health Partnership Project, $1,000,000
- Colorado State Forest Service- El Paso County: El Paso County Forest Health and Resilience Project (ECFHRP), $500,000
- Colorado State Forest Service - Teller County: Teller County Forest Health and Resilience Project (TCFHR), $1,000,000
- Jefferson County: Jefferson County Wildfire Safe, $1,000,000
- La Plata County: COSWAP1 Florida Watershed Mitigation Grant, $978,032
- Larimer County: Pole Hill / Waltonia, $1,000,000
- RMRI Upper Arkansas - Chaffee County: Upper Arkansas Thrives - Landscape Level Resilience in Chaffee County, $500,000
- RMRI Southwest Colorado - Mancos Conservation District: RMRI SW Colorado - Northwest Mancos Priority Zone, $1,000,000
- RMRI Upper Arkansas - Lake County: Lake County CWPP Fuels Reduction Project, $500,000
- RMRI Upper South Platte - Jefferson Conservation District: Upper South Platte Landscape Resilience, $1,000,000
COSWAP ARPA Release
When COSWAP was selected to receive federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to support watershed health, a special Landscape Resilience Investment (LRI) release was planned to complement the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s (CWCB) Wildfire Ready Watersheds program. This funding supports cross boundary implementation to protect high priority watersheds and critical water infrastructure.
COSWAP partnered with CWCB through the newly developed Wildfire Ready Watersheds program to identify two governmental entities to each receive approximately $1 million for a landscape scale wildfire mitigation and forest health project focused on improving watershed health and protecting critical water infrastructure.
2023 Landscape Resilience Investment Awards:
- Jefferson Conservation District: Upper South Platte Resilience 2, Jefferson County, $980,000
- Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District: Bear River Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project, Garfield County, $980,000
COSWAP Project Locations
Strategic Focus Areas
The Strategic Focus Areas are one of the components developed by the partnership between the Department of Natural Resources, Colorado State Forest Service and the Division of Fire Prevention and Control. They represent parts of the state with the highest populations living in high wildfire risk areas or with regional capacity to make meaningful strategic investments. The Strategic Focus Areas include Boulder, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, La Plata and Teller counties plus Rocky Mountain Restoration Initiative focal areas.
To learn more about the process of identifying Strategic Focus Areas see the White Paper.
Supplemental Information
Other Wildfire Mitigation Funding Opportunities
Information about Colorado and wildfire risks to life, property and infrastructure are found on the Colorado State Forest Atlas
Colorado Youth Corps Association
Department of Corrections- SWIFT
Colorado State Forest Service guidelines for fuel breaks
Information on forest products/wood utilization in Colorado (Colorado Wood Utilization and Marketing Program)
Frequently Asked Questions
COSWAP’s Workforce Development Grant will open August 31, 2023. All application materials are found on the COSWAP website. Applications can be submitted via email to COSWAP@state.co.us. If applying to work with a CYCA accredited conservation corps please submit your application by September 29. If applying to work with an independent corps, SWIFT or to host a training, submit your application by October 27.
Participation in COSWAP’s Landscape Resilience Investment is by invitation only. DNR coordinates directly with potential applicants to administer the Landscape Resilience Investment program.
COSWAP funds can be spent on all land ownership types.
All projects must be focused on reducing wildfire risk to life, property and critical infrastructure. SWIFT and conservation corps projects must be appropriate for hand crew work. This includes, but is not limited to, forest thinning, fuelbreaks, chipping, biomass removal, and pile or broadcast burning. Individual defensible space projects are not eligible. The Landscape Resilience Investment program focuses on cross-boundary hazardous fuel reduction projects, including prescribed fire and planning efforts, that create project connectivity across a landscape to reduce wildfire impacts to communities.
The Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Executive Director’s Office is the primary manager of the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program. Per statute, the Colorado State Forest Service, Division of Fire Prevention and Control and DNR work collaboratively on program design.
SB21-258 called for the U.S. Forest Service to send a National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) Team to Colorado to perform a comprehensive risk analysis to identify the most strategic locations in the state for investments in fuels reduction. Due to the active 2020 fire season a NIMO Team was not available, however Region 2 of the U.S. Forest Service made its fire and fuels experts available. Subject matter experts from the U.S. Forest Service, Colorado State Forest Service, Division of Fire Prevention and Control, Bureau of Land Management, National Parks Service, and the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute at Colorado State University formed the Rapid Fuels Reduction Assessment (RFRA) team to perform the comprehensive risk analysis. Over the summer and fall of 2021 a core team analyzed federal and state risk assessments to determine the most strategic areas for fuels reduction work to guide investment.
There are many funding sources available for wildfire mitigation efforts, including planning, implementation and capacity building. The Forest Restoration & Wildfire Risk Mitigation (FRWRM) grant program administered by the Colorado State Forest Service provides cash for fuels reduction and forest health projects as well as capacity building. FRWRM is a great option for those who have priority projects that must be completed in their entirety and expeditiously within 3 years. The Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) administered by the US Forest Service provides funding for wildfire planning efforts and wildfire mitigation projects. CWDG is a national program that prioritizes at-risk communities in an area identified as having high or very high wildfire hazard potential, are low-income, or have been impacted by a severe disaster that affects the risk of wildfire. CWDG can grant up to $250,000 for the creation or updating of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan or up to $10 million for a project described within a Community Wildfire Protection Plan less than 10 years old.
The COSWAP workforce development grant uniquely supports the growth of the forestry and mitigation workforce through its focus on youth corps, SWIFT and trainings. COSWAP workforce development crew time awards are great grants for organizations that want to support either young adults or incarcerated men. The key to a successful workforce grant is selecting the correct project for the crew. Youth corps crews bring enthusiasm and learning to the site; they work well on less technical projects or as a supplement to contractor or staff work. The SWIFT crews are large, often 18-28 men; these crews are quite efficient and can tackle larger and more complex projects. In all COSWAP cases, project completion is not guaranteed. Instead, successful grantees submit ambitious scopes of work with the understanding that the crews will complete as much as possible in the allotted time. In addition to its workforce development benefit, COSWAP is also unique in its low administrative burden. With a crew time award, COSWAP pays the workforce development partners directly. Crew time awards also have no match requirement which makes for simple reporting. Only cash awards have a match requirement.
There are many funding options available. See this compilation of funding for a list of programs available in Colorado.
COSWAP is open to funding trainings outside of the ones listed on this page. Please reach out to the administrator (alison.lerch@state.co.us) with questions on eligibility.
See the flowchart in the request for applications to help guide your decision.
Additional Mitigation Funding Opportunities
Find additional funding opportunities for wildfire mitigation using this funding compilation.
Partners
The Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program is designed and implemented collaboratively between partners identified in SB21-258. Representatives from the Colorado State Forest Service and the Division of Fire Prevention and Control work with program staff within the Department of Natural Resources to make decisions on program priorities, methods and implementation.
Questions
For program questions please contact:
Alison Lerch, Program Administrator: alison.lerch@state.co.us
or Courtney Young, Program Facilitator: courtney.young@state.co.us