Landowners and municipalities in 33 Central Texas counties are eligible to apply for cost-share reimbursement for wildfire mitigation practices through the Mechanical Fuel Reduction Grant from Aug. 1 to Sept. 12, 2025.
The grant aims to reduce the risk of home loss to wildfire in Central Texas by using fuel reduction practices including hand-cut and mulching treatments.
Eligible applicants can receive up to $750 per acre for hand-cutting treatment, $2,000 per acre for mulching treatment or $1,500 per acre for a combination of hand-cutting and mulching treatments.
Thirty-three Texas counties are eligible for this grant, including Austin, Bastrop (partial), Bell (partial), Brazos, Brown, Burleson, Coke, Coleman, Colorado, Concho, Ector, Fayette, Glasscock, Grimes, Irion, Kimble, Lampasas, Lee, Llano, Madison, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Midland, Mills, Runnels, San Saba, Sterling, Tom Green, Travis (partial), Waller, Washington and Williamson (partial) counties.
“The Mechanical Fuel Reduction Grant helps landowners, municipalities and homeowners associations take proactive measures in protecting their homes, land and communities,” said Victoria Wenkman, Texas A&M Forest Service Wildfire Mitigation and Prevention Specialist. “Landowners and communities can slow the progression of wildfire by reducing fuel sources, such as removing flammable materials near structures and creating defensible spaces.”
Fuel reduction includes the removal of excessive or hazardous fuels such as vegetative debris, immature trees, shrubs and dead or downed branches. Shrubs and small trees can serve as ladder fuels which can carry a ground fire into the crown of trees, increasing the complexity of the fire.
Fuel breaks are a removed section of vegetation that can decrease the intensity of fires, protect first responders by providing wide access lanes and slow incoming wildfires.
“A fuel break can also benefit native vegetation and wildlife, allowing for shaded fuel breaks where large native trees remain and smaller invasive species are removed,” said Wenkman.
Defensible spaces are natural or manmade areas spanning at least 30 feet around a structure where combustible material has been cleared or removed, providing a barrier between an advancing wildfire.
Funding reimburses landowners for the costs associated with hiring a contractor to create defensible spaces and hand-cut fuel breaks, completed with chainsaws or through mechanical methods using brush cutters, forestry mulchers or similar equipment.
Since 2005, the counties eligible for the program have experienced a combined 1,271 wildfires, burning 895,790 acres.
Learn more about mechanical fuel reduction practices and the Mechanical Fuel Reduction Grant at https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/grants-financial-assistance/landowner-grants/fire-mitigation-grants/mechanical-fuel-reduction-grant/.
Sign up to receive newsletters about the Mechanical Fuel Reduction Grant, including workshop opportunities, deadline reminders and helpful application tips at https://signup.e2ma.net/signup/2015670/1967361/.
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