Wildfire Mitigation

Delta County and Town of Paonia complete Wildfire Mitigation Project on Cedar Hill (P Hill) in Paonia Funded by State of Colorado COSWAP Grant

June 6, 2023

Project Summary

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) created the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program (COSWAP) grant after the devastating 2020 fire season to support wildfire fuel reduction projects across the state. Delta County was awarded mitigation funds to reduce wildfire risk in Delta County. Through Coordination with the Town of Paonia, funding is being used to complete a wildfire fuels reduction project on the high-fire danger parcel of Town property known as Cedar Hill (P-Hill) directly south of Town.

The Town and County partnered with the Western Slope Conservation Corps (WCCC) to complete the project. The goal was to thin high density juniper trees to create a shaded fuel break to improve the defensibility of the communications tower and reduce the risk of wildfire spread and intensity to the Town and neighboring parcels. The project also improved the health and diversity of the forest stand and benefit wildlife by reducing density and expanding openings for the regeneration of under-story plants. The project was supported by the Colorado State Forest Service and fuels treatments were specifically designed by a forester with the State Forest Service to maximize wildlife habitat and forest health.

West Region Wildfire Council

The West Region Wildfire Council (WRWC) is a local nonprofit organization working to reduce wildfire risk across communities, forests, and watersheds in Delta, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose, Ouray, and San Miguel counties. In 2016 and again in 2023, WRWC assessed wildfire risk for every residence in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) of Delta County, providing property-specific ratings and recommendations. View the Delta County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) on the WRWC's website here West Region Wildfire Council West Region Wildfire Council West Region Wildfire Council, or view your home's individual risk assessment to wildfire.

Vegetation Management Assistance Program

WRWC provides expert guidance and funding support for residents interested in wildfire mitigation work such as tree thinning, brush clearing, and creating defensible space. Their experienced team of foresters can visit your property, develop a customized vegetation management plan, help solicit contractor bids, and guide you through each step of the process.

To support these efforts, WRWC offers a variety of financial assistance options—including a cost-share program that can reimburse up to 75% of project costs for eligible landowners. This program has helped hundreds of homeowners across the region reduce their wildfire risk and protect their properties.

To learn more about available programs and funding, we encourage you to contact WRWC directly.

Wildfire Ready Home Program

WRWC's Wildfire Ready home program helps residents understand their wildfire risk and take practical steps to reduce it. As part of this service, a wildfire mitigation specialist will visit your property to conduct an on-site assessment and provide a customized report based on national best practices and local fire science. As a non-profit organization reliant on grants and donations for funding support, effective April 2025, the Wildfire Council will charge a fee for this program. To learn more about the fee and fee waiver requests, please contact the Wildfire Council directly.

Program Benefits:

On-site wildfire risk assessment for your home,
Personalized recommendations for defensible space and home hardening against wildfire,
Educational materials about wildfire behavior and mitigation,
Referrals to local contractors and mitigation resources,
Access to the Wildfire Ready Home Mitigation portal offered by WRWC,
Access to financial assistance through WRWC's cost-share program for mitigation actions (if homeowner qualifies)

Wildfire Ready Home assessment program services are available to all Delta County residents living in wildfire prone areas. Participation in the Wildfire Ready Home Program and Cost-share mitigation program are one of the most effective ways homeowners can protect your home, neighborhood and broader community.

To schedule your site visit or to learn more, please visit the West Region Wildfire Council's website or call 970-615-7300.

Creating Wildfire Defensible Zones

Two factors have emerged as the primary determinants of a home’s ability to survive wildfire:

The home’s roofing material, and
The quality of the “defensible space” surrounding the home.

Roofing Materials

Use fire-resistive materials such as metal or asphalt shingles, not cedar shake shingles, to roof homes in or near forests and grasslands. When your roof needs significant repairs or replacement, do so with a fire-resistant roofing material.

Defensible Space

Defensible space is an area around a structure where fuels and vegetation are treated, cleared or reduced to slow the spread of wildfire towards the structure. It also reduces the chance of a structure fire moving from the building to the surrounding forest. Defensible space provides room for firefighters to do their jobs. Your house is more likely to withstand a wildfire if grasses, brush, trees and other common forest fuels are managed to reduce a fire’s intensity.

Please contact the West Region Wildfire Council or the Delta County Office of Emergency Management (970-874-2004) for more information and resources that can assist you with projects, concerns or resources available for wildfire protection.

Useful Links

Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Natural Resources website.
The Firewise website contains educational information for people who live or vacation in fire-prone areas of the United States.
Firewise Building Construction Recommendations (pdf)