National Fire Plan Success Story
USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area
Hazardous Fuels Mitigation
National Fire Plan - Fuels Reduction
2011
Since fiscal year 2001, Congress has funded the National Fire Plan (NFP), providing additional funds to help the USDA Forest Service, states, and other partners address the growing threat to lives, property, and natural resources from catastrophic wildfires. This nationwide initiative has helped to reduce hazardous fuels, control wildland fires, restore burned landscapes, and assist communities at risk. These funds support state coordinated hazard mitigation activities in the wildland-urban interface, focused on reducing property loss, decreasing fuels hazards, increasing public awareness, developing fire plans and citizen-driven solutions in rural communities.
Over the last eleven years, the Northeastern Area has been able to award more than $44 million of State Fire Assistance (SFA) funding through a competitive grant process on projects that have focused on hazard fuels reduction, development of Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs), information and education, planning, and homeowner mitigation projects.
The Northeastern Area works with State agencies and other partners to target these priority issues through the Hazardous Fuels Mitigation grant program:
- Providing technical support to States and partners to develop and implement effective hazard mitigation projects in priority areas.
- Providing support and oversight of Hazardous Fuels Mitigation Grants.
- Collaborating with the States and partners to develop the Northeast Wildfire Risk Assessment which identifies wildfire risk areas and potential priority areas across the Northeastern Area