Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program

In 2024, an additional $100 million of Inflation Reduction Act funding will be allocated through a competitive internal process under the Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program to expand work outside the 21 designated Wildfire Crisis Strategy landscapes, focusing on work with non-traditional partners that represent underserved and minority-based communities to help with project implementation.

This Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program (CWRRP) will be funded by Inflation Reduction Act hazardous fuels dollars, which must be used on National Forest System land in the Wildland Urban Interface, where national forests meet homes and communities. There are 24 states that meet the criteria for this program, including 13 states in the South, Midwest and East.  The internal competitive process allows national forests to demonstrate their ability to move forward quickly on wildfire risk reduction actions that will protect communities, infrastructure, water quality and adjacent landowners.

Criteria for eligible areas/projects in these 24 qualifying states include: areas outside the 21 wildfire crisis landscapes on National Forest System lands that meet the Healthy Forest Restoration Act – Wildland-Urban Interface that are within high-risk firesheds identified in the Forest Service Wildfire Crisis Strategy and/or areas with very high wildfire hazard potential.

Anyone interested in learning more about this internal process should reach out to their local Wildfire Crisis Strategy point of contact associated with the units in the following qualified states. 

24 Qualifying States: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. 

In December 2023, the Forest Service hosted a webinar that explained more about the Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program. While the schedules listed in some of the slides are outdated (the agency is currently accepting applications from national forests from Feb. 20 - April 23 2024), the basic information may be helpful as national forests and partners work together on upcoming opportunities to collaboratively reduce the risk of wildfire in high-risk areas beyond the 21 designated Wildfire Crisis Strategy landscapes.