Wildfire Mitigation Program Offers Up to $4,000 for Homeowners

Red Feather area residents can receive assistance reducing wildfire risk around homes

RED FEATHER LAKES, Colo. — Homeowners in several mountain communities north and west of Fort Collins now have access to a new program that helps reduce wildfire risk by funding mitigation work around homes and structures.

The Home Ignition Zone Mitigation Assistance Program (HIZMAP) is now available to eligible property owners in Cherokee Meadows, Crystal Lakes, Glacier View, and communities throughout the Poudre Canyon area. The initiative is part of the larger Red Feather Lakes Area Wildfire Defense Project, a regional effort focused on reducing wildfire threats in Northern Colorado’s wildland-urban interface.

Eligible homeowners can receive up to $4,000 worth of wildfire mitigation services, with project coordination and contractor management handled through the program. The funding supports defensible space creation and vegetation management designed to reduce the risk of homes igniting during a wildfire.

Wildfire experts note that the area immediately surrounding a home—known as the Home Ignition Zone—is often the most important factor in determining whether a structure survives a wildfire. Reducing fuels near homes can significantly improve a property’s chances of withstanding an approaching fire.

Nearly half of Colorado residents live in the wildland-urban interface, where homes are located near forests, grasslands, and other natural vegetation that can fuel wildfires.

“This program is exactly the kind of partnership-based mitigation work that helps us turn wildfire risk reduction planning into practical, meaningful work on the ground,” said Larimer County Emergency Management Director Lori Hodges. “The HIZMAP supports individual property owners while also advancing broader community resilience to wildfire.”

Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen emphasized that reducing wildfire risk requires action at both the individual and community levels.

“Larimer County has seen firsthand how quickly wildfire can threaten homes, neighborhoods, and critical access routes,” Feyen said. “Wildfire safety is a shared responsibility, and reducing risk around homes is one of the most important actions property owners can take. Programs like this make our communities safer and better prepared.”

To qualify, properties must be located within eligible portions of Cherokee Meadows, Crystal Lakes, Glacier View, or the Poudre Canyon area. Properties must be privately owned, developed parcels, have a completed Home Ignition Zone Assessment on file, and provide a signed Right of Entry agreement.

Eligible properties include owner-occupied residences, seasonal homes, renter-occupied properties, and other privately owned developed parcels. The program does not fund home-hardening projects such as roof replacements, vent upgrades, screens, gutters, or other structural improvements.

The Red Feather Lakes Area Wildfire Defense Project is funded through a USDA Community Wildfire Defense Grant and is jointly managed by the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed and the Larimer County Office of Emergency Management.

For information about eligibility and applications, visit Larimer County Emergency Management or Home Ignition Zone Mitigation Assistance Program (HIZMAP).

A note from Publisher Blaine Howerton:

Wildfire preparedness remains one of the most important issues facing Northern Colorado’s mountain communities. From Red Feather Lakes to the Poudre Canyon, staying informed about mitigation efforts, emergency planning, and community safety helps protect homes and lives. If you value local journalism that keeps you connected to the issues shaping our region, consider joining the readers who start their day with the Daily Update.

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Source: Larimer County Office of Emergency Management

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