Purpose
Cost-share reimbursement grant for private Texas landowners to protect surrounding communities at risk of wildfire through accepted mechanical fuel reduction.
Practices
Create defensible space or fuel breaks with hand cutting tools, chainsaws, chippers, or forestry mulcher/masticator.
Eligibility
Landowners in the indicated 39 Central Texas counties.
Application
The online application period is open in April annually.
About
The Central Texas Communities at Risk (CTX CAR) – Mechanical Fuel Reduction grant is funded through the U.S. Forest Service. The grant reduces the risk of home loss to wildfire through accepted mechanical fuel reduction practices.
Projects must be in the following Central Texas counties we have identified as a high priority for wildfire risk:
Ector, Midland, Glasscock, Sterling, Coke, Runnels, Coleman, Brown, Irion, Tom Green, Concho, McCulloch, San Saba, Mills, Lampasas, Madison, Menard, Mason, Llano, Burnet, Williamson, Burleson, Brazos, Grimes, Kimble, Lee, Washington, Edwards, Real, Kerr, Comal, Hays, Fayette, Austin, Walker, and Colorado Counties.
Landowners will be reimbursed for actual costs up to the listed thresholds for conducting mechanical fuel reduction projects on their property. Project work will be conducted by a hired contractor of the landowner’s choosing. The contracting service hired must not be affiliated with the landowner. Work cannot be conducted by the landowner. Previous work conducted before pre-inspections will not be accepted.
Individual landowners may submit more than one application per project location. Landowners may be approved for more than one application.
Maximum total reimbursement per recipient
There are two methods of treatment landowners may apply for: hand-cutting to create defensible space or hand-cut or mulched fuel breaks.
Grant recipients will be reimbursed actual costs not to exceed $750 per acre. Total limit of reimbursement per grant recipient is $10,000. The minimum reimbursement per grant recipient is $750, even if the project area is less than one acre.
Reimbursable costs are limited to those expenditures listed on a contractor’s invoice that are directly related to fuel reduction actions that create defensible space around a structure, the installation of the fuel breaks to protect structures, and/or the rental of equipment that is directly related to the fuel reduction activities or installation of the fuel break. The purchase of equipment is not reimbursable.
Invoices paid in full are required documentation prior to reimbursing actual costs.
Hand-cutting to create defensible space ($750/Acre)
Hand-cutting to create defensible space includes thinning, pruning, cutting, and debris disposal around homes and structures in the wildland urban interface.
Trees are thinned with chainsaws and/or other tools to remove them from the home ignition zone, prevent fire spreading between tree crowns, and allow access for firefighting. Branches of remaining trees are pruned, “ladder fuels” are removed or reduced, and bushes and flammable vegetation in the home ignition zone removed or reduced.
All debris generated from these activities, including all dead woody debris and cut limbs and brush, must be removed from the property or mechanically reduced to chips.
Burning of any kind is not allowed under this grant and will result in disqualification.
Projects that create defensible space between 0 to 100 feet of the house/structure will be given priority. These projects may occur up to 300 feet in all directions from the home and/or associated structures.
Before hand-cut treatment
Hand-cut or mulched fuel break ($750/Acre)
Hand-cut or mulched fuel breaks are linear treatments at least 66 feet wide and will remove and/or reduce all vegetation in it. It should be positioned to protect homes or structures from wildfires.
Trees are thinned with hand cutting tools or a forestry mulcher (masticator) to create open gaps in crown overstory. Branches of remaining trees are pruned. Dead woody debris and understory brushes are removed. Burning of any kind is not allowed under this grant and will result in disqualification.
Hand-cut fuel breaks should be in a strategic location along property lines, along access roads, or between unmanaged lands and manicured areas. Priority will be given to projects that are positioned to protect homes and structures. These projects may also occur as landscape-wide treatments within wildland areas between homes in a community.
Application process
This grant is competitive, and selection will be based on the goal of reducing wildfire risk to homes. Applications for the grant will open annually April 1and close April 30. They will then be reviewed by our fuels team and approved/declined based on the intent of the grant.
Approval or declined notification letters for applicates will be mailed by May 31. We do not guarantee acceptance based on previous year’s approvals.
Applicants must:
- Complete all questions on the online application to be considered.
- Create a map of the proposed project area displaying property owner’s boundary, location of proposed fuel treatment or fuel break, dimensions of treatment, and landowner name with aerial imagery as map background. An incomplete map may result in disqualification.
- Submit contractor information and an estimate of the cost of service. The last section of the online application will help calculate the estimated reimbursement using the entered project type and dimensions.
Pictures of the landscape, topography, and overall vegetation may be submitted for consideration.
Individual landowners may submit more than one application per different project location. Treatment dimensions on one application should not overlap with another application. Landowners may be approved for more than one application.
Approved applications
If approved, the approval letter will include a W-9 Tax Form, a Terms of Conditions Form, and your submitted application for the landowner to sign and return to us within five weeks to accept the grant.
Applicants may switch contractors upon notification first. After notifying us, a signed application with the updated contractor information is required to switch. Once we receive all documents, the landowner will receive a letter to coordinate a pre-inspection. Only after the pre-inspection has been completed may work begin.
If the contractor declines or fails to complete the work by the deadline, then the applicant may re-apply the following grant cycle. This is only available on the first occurrence. Failing to complete the work two years in a row will result in automatic disqualification the 3rd cycle/year.
We will reach out to schedule the pre-inspection. Any work conducted before pre-inspections will not be considered for reimbursement. We will take pre-treatment photos, confirm the dimensions of your project, and answer any remaining questions about the grant process.
All debris generated from the project must be removed from the property or dispersed as mulch or chips. Burning of any kind is not allowed under this grant and will result in disqualification. If any debris generated from this project is left on landowner’s property, we may not cover reimbursement.
The contractor hired will have up to 180 days to complete all the work. If work is not completed by the end of the 180-day term, the landowner can be reimbursed for the acreage that was completed. The landowner may also apply again next year for any acreage missed. No extensions will be granted.
After the contractor completes their work, the landowner will contact us to schedule a post-inspection visit which will verify any work completed. The post-inspection will calculate acreage and verify dimensions were met in the approved location.
After the post-inspection, the landowner must submit their receipts and invoices for reimbursement. Invoices must have the project address and county, description of work conducted, acreage completed, and show the balance paid in full or zero balanced to be reimbursed. Once the post-inspection is conducted and the reimbursement forms have been submitted, we will process all documentation and mail your reimbursement check which can take 4-6 weeks.