Develop a Plan  --  Listed below are some things to consider in developing your plan

Size of project and budget:

1. How big an area
2. What can I afford to spend
3. What is the time line for completionGuidelines for SFTR Property Owner Cost Share Reimbursement

What are my biggest wild fire threats?

1. General and seasonal wind direction
2. Slope
3. Vegetation types
4. Building types and fire resistance

What is the final desired result?

1. Number of trees to be left
2. Age and species range of trees to be left
3. Understory to be left
4. Ground cover to be left or to be seeded in or encouraged to grow

Purpose of plan:

1. What goals do I want to achieve with the project
2. What do I want it to look like

Materials to be removed:

1. How much firewood do I want and need
2. Can useable materials (saw logs, or post& pole) be removed to offset some costs and how will this be accomplished
3. How will I handle slash and chips

Method for treatment:

1. What can be done mechanically and what will be the final result
2. How much prep work or finish work must be done by hand

How will work be accomplished?

1. Which mechanical treatment or treatments are appropriate for my project
2. What hand work will I contract out
3. What handwork or mechanical work will I do myself

Request a Plan Evaluation

Fill out the online Plan Evaluation Request Form, and when you hit submit, it will be forwarded to FWAG representative Dave Skogberg at dskogberg@msn.com. The on-line form asks you many of the questions that you researched in Part One of this outline. The FWAG will try to coordinate schedules so our Colorado State District Forester can evaluate several properties when he is on site to maximize his time and minimize the number of trips to SFTR for evaluations

You will be contacted about a time available for your evaluation.  Acceptance of your plan and its prioritization amongst other plans is at the sole discretion of our Colorado State District Forester.

Contract Work

Decide what work you can do and what is to be contracted out

Decide type of equipment appropriate to contracted work

Complete Work

Do whatever preliminary work is necessary prior to contractors arrival

Get contract work completed

Do whatever finish work is necessary after contractor is done

You will have to submit receipts for payments and /or in-kind time sheets at the end of your project and have your Final Approval before grant money is paid to you.

Schedule Final Approval Evaluation

Contact FWAG representative Dave Skogberg at dskogberg@msn.com or at (719)-846-9090 with available dates and times.  The FWAG will try to coordinate schedules so our Colorado State District Forester can evaluate several properties when he is on site to maximize his time and minimize the number of trips to SFTR for evaluations

You will be contacted about a time available for your evaluation.  Acceptance of your plan is at the sole discretion of our Colorado State District Forester.

General Project Priorites

1. 1. The available 2007 WUI funds will be used for defensible space mitigation in Defensible Space Zones 1, 2, and 3 with zone 1 mitigation given first priority followed by zone 2 and zone 3.  (For further information regarding defensible-space zones 1-3 review “Creating Wildfire Defensible Zones”, CSFS publication No. 06302 by F. C. Dennis).  The CSFS Link to this publication as well as others is available on the FHWMC website sftrforest.org
   2. Zone 2 and zone 3 boundaries may vary depending on the property fuel types, fuel densities, and topography.
   3. Projects which benefit several property owners may be given higher priority.
   4. Property owners who have shown previous efforts to mitigate their property may be given higher priority.
   5. Properties with a house or plans to build a house within one year will have a higher priority than properties with non-residential buildings and these will receive priority over lots with no structures.

Requirements 

1. 1. The property owner must mitigate a minimum of one acre to apply for cost share reimbursement.
   2. The property owner must have out of pocket expenses.
   3. The property owner must complete and return the owner sign-up form to the SFTRFWAG available on the committee website sftrforest.org.  The completed forms will be submitted to our CSFS District Forester.
   4. Property owners must agree to maintain the mitigated area and make the area available for a bi-annual maintenance review by a Colorado State Forester as stipulated in the SFTRFWAG 2007 WUI grant application.
   5. Our CSFS District Forester will review the interested property owner’s mitigation project verbally or with an on-site visit and must agree the specific project is eligible for cost reimbursement.
   6. After completing the mitigation project the property owner must have a post-treatment evaluation by our CSFS District Forester who must sign-off on the project before the owner is eligible to submit for cost share reimbursement.

Guidelines Cost Share Reimbursement

1. The property owner is responsible for paying all out of pocket expenses up front to contractors.
2. The hard dollar to hard dollar cost share reimbursement can vary from 0% up to a maximum of 50% for project costs not to exceed $1000 per individual SFTR property owner.3.    
3. Examples of Hard Dollar to Hard Dollar Cost Share Reimbursement Match

• If a property owner has documented out of pocket expenses of $2000 or greater and has no in-kind contribution the maximum reimbursement would be $1000
• If a property owner has documented out of pocket expenses less than $2000 and has no in-kind contribution the maximum cost share reimbursement would be 50% of the total documented out of pocket expenses.  For example a property owner spent $800 the maximum reimbursement would be $400.  If a property owner spent $600 the maximum reimbursement would be $300.
• In summary the property owner must have out of pocket expenses to participate, and the maximum hard dollar to hard dollar match available in this reimbursement grant funding is 50%, the maximum cost share reimbursement available to any one SFTR property owner is $1000.

4.     In-Kind Match General Information

• A property owner can use documented in-kind contributions (soft dollars) up to a maximum of $1000 of in-kind contribution for the 2007 WUI Grant Cost Share Reimbursement.  An exception can be made (for up to an additional $500) at the discretion of the State District Forester for properties with steep slopes requiring extensive hand work.
• Any documented in-kind contribution from October 1, 2007 through the September 1, 2008 for defensible space mitigation will be accepted for mitigation projects qualifying for this reimbursement program.
• The in-kind rate for manual labor is $17.55 per documented hour.
• Usage of personal equipment such as chain saws, tractors, brush hogs, DR mowers may also be considered as in-kind contribution.  Examples of per hour rates for usage of personal equipment are tractor with frontloader, rock rake or brush hog $25.00 per hour, chain saw $4.00 per hour, power limbing saw $3.50 per hour, chipper $30.00 per hour, ATV with attached trailer or skidder $4.00 per hour.  For further information visit sftrforest.org section “We Need You Hour” and click learn more here.  Be sure to scroll down through the whole explanation and ignore the years used in the example.

5.     Examples of matching hard dollar cost share reimbursement with in-kind contribution (soft dollars)

•   If a property owner has documented out of pocket expenses of $1000 or more and has documented in-kind contribution of at least $1000, the reimbursement to this property owner would be $1000 or the maximum reimbursement per individual property owner participating in the 2007 WUI Grant Reimbursement Program.
• If a property owner has documented out of pocket expenses less than $1000 then the property owner can use in-kind contribution up to the match of the 50% cost share reimbursement.  For example a property owner has out of pocket expenses of $800 then this property owner can use $800 of documented in-kind to match the maximum 50% hard dollar reimbursement and would be eligible for a total cost share reimbursement of $800.  Or if total out of pocket expenses were $600 then the property owner can contribute up to $600 of documented in-kind and is eligible for the maximum reimbursement of the $600.

6.     Participating property owners who wish to document in-kind contribution can download a PDF of the In-Kind Tracking Form

7.     The SFTRFWAG asks that property owners please document all in-kind.  Any in-kind not applied to your individual project cost share reimbursement can by used by the SFTRFWAG for in-kind match for community projects and events such as the costs associated with Educational Events and Projects.

General Information

The priority is to make these reimbursement funds available to offset cost for defensible space mitigation by SFTR individual property owners.  In the event there is lack of interest among SFTR property owners to completely utilize the monies awarded to SFTR through the 2007 WUI Grant Program, the balance of funds available will be used by the SFTR Property Owner’s Association for mitigation of common areas.

These initially approved grant funds represent only a small of the estimated monies needed to accomplish the current recommended defensible space mitigation in our community.  As more funds become available we will proceed through the list of properties applying for assistance using the above-mentioned priorities and as additional funding allows will provide further assistance.

 The SFTRFWAG has submitted a 2008 WUI Grant application and should know by the fall of 2008 whether our application has received funding.  If approved for funding the monies would not be available until the sub-award agreement has been sign off on which would most likely be the fall of 2008.  Additionally the committee is busy investigating other sources of grant funding to help defray costs in the daunting mitigation needs of the Santa Fe Trail Ranch.

 Our District Forester and the SFTRFWAG wants everyone in the SFTR community to be aware that we are attempting to make these limited funds available to each and every property owner in the most fair and equitable manner possible.  To be able to allow a reasonable number of property owners the opportunity to participate in the cost share reimbursement it has been necessary to limit the maximum reimbursement to $1000 per property owner this year.

 If your project does not meet the specifications and receive funding approval this year please do not become discouraged.  Hopefully with a lot of work and effort additional grant funding will be made available in the future.

In Kind Tracking Form (PDF)