Forest Health Council - October 2025 Meeting Summary - Center for Collaborative Conservation

Summary by Esther Duke, Colorado Forest Health Council Proxy Member serving in place of Katie McGrath Novak, as “an individual employed by or associated with a forest collaborative organization.”

This document summarizes key points from the October 29, 2025, Colorado Forest Health Council quarterly meeting that I believe are most relevant to Colorado’s place-based forest collaboratives. It is an interpretation of discussions from the meeting, but it is not an official Forest Health Council document.

Additional resources:

Meeting recording
Additional resources from the Colorado Forest Collaboratives Network (not official Colorado Forest Health Council resources):
- Colorado Forest Collaboratives Network (CFCN) resource page: Keeping up with the Colorado Forest Health Council
- In case you missed it – Aug 2025 quarterly meeting: Summary

Welcome and Introductions

The meeting began with a welcome and a roll call to establish quorum.

New Members Appointed to the CFHC

The CFHC welcomed a new member:

The governor appointed Nina Waters, Summit County Commissioner, to the council. She is filling the seat that Clyde Church left open.
Two vacant seats remain: a ranching seat (someone who owns and operates a ranch and has grazing rights on federal land) and a tribal seat, sought. The council hopes to fill these soon.

Approval of Meeting Minutes

The minutes from the August 13th and October 14th meetings were approved.

Federal Policy Update

Patrick Ortiz from Senator John Hickenlooper’s office provided an update on federal policy, including:

The ongoing government shutdown: the senator’s office remains open with reduced staffing,
The Senator’s stance on healthcare: not approving the budget until tax credits are renewed,
And the “Fix Our Forest Act” will go up for a vote soon. Strategy to streamline processes related to wildfire mitigation and management – appreciate support of Governor, Fire Chiefs, CSFS, etc.

Discussions also touched on the Roadless Rule repeal, which Senator Hickenlooper strongly opposes. He is a co-sponsor of the Roadless Area Conservation Act. Another topic was the proposed wildfire agency reorganization – no estimate of costs, no details of staffing changes, etc have been made available from the Trump Administration yet.

Questions about what alternative the Senator is putting forward to support additional wildfire mitigation in Colorado, if not through the Roadless Rule repeal. Patrick said that “Fix our Forests” addresses some of this. Patrick will provide additional information to be shared with the council at a later date.

Legislative Committee Update

Commissioner Jody Shadduck McNally, chair of the legislative committee, detailed the committee’s activities, including:

Regular bi-weekly meetings with various presentations, and preparations for a breakfast with legislators in January 2026 (still deciding between two dates). The committee is looking for volunteers to set up, clean up, etc. They are also looking to get sponsors to donate food and drink. All council members are encouraged to attend.
Other meeting times this year were used to host deeper dive presentations with time for Q&A with organizations like the Colorado State Forest Service, Department of Natural Resources, Northern Water, and The Nature Conservancy.

Legislative Committee Charter Revisions: A significant portion of this meeting was dedicated to discussing and approving amendments to the legislative committee’s charter, specifically to grant it authority to address federal policy updates and to clarify coordination with DNR and other state agencies. The tactic of these revisions to the Legislative Committee Charter on this front will be slow, starting with receiving federal policy updates at their committee meetings. Changes to the charter are minor, see images below:

Q&A:

Director Mike Morgan suggested that for some things, coordination with the Colorado Department of Public Safety (CDPS) might be appropriate. Courtney Young and Director Dan Gibbs suggested that coordination with the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) or other agencies might also be needed. They broadened the language to acknowledge this.

State Policy Updates

Director Dan Gibbs announced that Allison Lurch has been promoted to Assistant Director for Forest Health and Wildfire Mitigation. Allison provided an overview of:

State budget projections: to be reviewed over the next 6 months (DNR’s package will be reviewed Dec & Jan), leading up to the new budget year starting July 1. She highlighted the challenging budget year ahead due to various factors: This will be a very tight budget due to federal tax cuts, increasing cost of services, and TABOR limitations. OBBA has decreased the expected state revenue projections.
The upcoming 2026 legislative session, Jan 14 – May 13, 2026.
Recent leadership changes in the House and Senate: Change of leadership in the house with the minority leader, Rose Pugliese, stepping down. The new majority leader is Representative Jarvis Caldwell.
And upcoming bills: The Wildfire Matters Review Committee is advancing two bills this upcoming legislative session. The council’s recommendation to align state stature with federal updates to the Good Neighbor Authority Act is one of these bills (to be carried by Rep Velasco). The second bill is to recreate the Wildfire Matters Review Committee through 2031.

The Forest Health Council is undergoing a Sunset Review Process.

Director Gibs and Assistant Director Lerch worked with the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), and it has formally recommended continuing the Colorado Forest Health Council, acknowledging its value in providing legislative recommendations. Implementation will be done through a bill.
DNR’s legislative team is keeping apprised of any other bills proposed in the forest and wildfire space.
Asst. Director Alison Lerch handed it over to Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control Director Mike Morgan and State Forester & Director of Colorado State Forest Service Matt McCombs for further updates.
- Director Mike Morgan: The Wildfire Matters Review Committee wrote a letter about work with utilities on wildfire mitigation and liability adjustments
  - At the last fire district meeting in Summit County, there was a conversation about Forest Improvement Districts. The law to allow the creation of these districts has been on the books since 2007 in Colorado, but none have been successfully stood up yet. One of the commission members (Kevin Wheland), who represents districts on the western slope, brought it up. Because this is at the intersection of fire protection and forest health, it will be brought to the council to weigh in on. Similar to the prescribed fire subcommittee, we may want to join forces between the two committees to inform recommendations to move forward.
- Colorado State Forester Matt McCombs expressed interest in the idea of the Fire Protection Commission and the Forest Health Council working together to explore the opportunities associated with Forest Improvement Districts with people in places interested in using this tool.
- Director Dan Gibbs shared that the Forest Improvement District bill was one of his bills when he was a legislator. The idea was that if local communities want to create a taxable district similar to a school district, this would enable them with the power to do so. Western Boulder County came close to creating a Forest Improvement Districts understanding of why it failed is that there are lots of fire districts in the area, and they couldn’t agree on who would be making decisions on how that money would be spent and how much authority the districts would each have. Unfortunately, it turned into a big mess. Lots of fingers pointed on who’s fault it all was. The opportunity was good, but the details were not clearly worked out with a lot of the higher-ups who were working on it. Is that how you recall it, Mike?
- Director Mike Morgan said he was not so close to it at the time, but that seems like what he was aware of as well.
- Kevin Whelan was asking if there were things that the Commission could do to facilitate the success of Forest Improvement Districts, and there were as many questions as there were answers in that discussion. Do we need to massage the FID at the legislative level or is it education and outreach that is needed?
- Director Gibbs said that the key is to find the right place where this is helpful and where people would support the sales tax, property tax, or some kind of funding mechanism. There are a lot of places where you do polling and wildfire mitigation, and preparedness ranks really high. Even statewide, some numbers reflect that.
- Mark Morgan shared that after doing a lot of work in the area, he thinks it is a contentious topic there. There are other places that would be easier for an FID to succeed, and success breeds success. The fact that it didn’t work there doesn’t mean that the concept or bill is unworkable.
Change of topic: Director Gibbs said that he talked with Speaker McCluskie at a water meeting, and she said that they are going to really try not to allow late bills this session

Leveraging Resources Committee Update

Amy Moyer is covering as chair while Katie McGrath-Novak is out on maternity leave. Amy shared three updates:

Forest Resilience Planning Guide: continues to be a major effort of this committee. Big thanks to the support from CSFS. How do we make sure it gets used and is on the desk of local elected officials, that collaboratives are using it, etc. Working with Alison on outreach and a plan for how to get the guide to a place where it is informing policy. Two committees of the council have an opportunity to work together on this.
Top Pinch Points in Communities Seeking Funding:
- Capacity – often organizations lack the capacity to prioritize, make plans, develop metrics, etc., and to identify funding to do so
- Hard to find match, especially early on in project development
- Lag in timelines, often lag time both within the state, but also between state and federal initiatives. How do timelines line up? What is the lag time, even if you are awarded funding and need to contract? How do you keep the momentum that is so critical up? It is important to look for funding to support the earlier stages of readiness. Most funding goes to “shovel-ready” projects.
Spending time with Wildfire and Watershed Initiative for a Resiliant Colorado (WWIRC) to coordinate and amplify efforts across the board: Julie Shapiro has been in conversation with the committee about who to pull together to support non-federal funding for wildfire resilience.

Like the Legislative Committee, the Leveraging Resources Committee has invited various partners to share and provided Q&A time. In addition to WWIRC, presenters have included RESTORE Colorado, the Colorado Forest Collaboratives Summit team, etc. The next step is to move into deliberation about what they have heard and which pieces they should elevate to the full Forest Health Council, and where might there be opportunities to work with the Legislative Committee on some recommendations informed by what we have all heard over the past year.

Always looking for folks who want to join these conversations. So, anyone else on the council who wants to join, please do.

Prescribed Fire Sub-Committee

A few members of the council are part of a prescribed fire sub-committee under the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control Director. Asst Director Alison Lerch and Commissioner Jody Shadduck McNally serve in this capacity. Paige Lewis of the Nature Conservancy is also on that committee. They meet monthly.

In the spring, they heard a presentation on the new Colorado statewide strategy for prescribed fire on nonfederal lands from the Department of Public Safety. This is what the subcommittee has been working on since that presentation in April. There are 21 strategies in all, but the sub-committee has been focused on four unfunded priority strategies in the areas of:

Liability
- Liability Strategy 2: aims to clarify roles and definitions for existing liability coverage for RX burning
- Liability Strategy 3: Establish a legal framework for shared or pooled insurance and liability coverage for RX burning
- Liability Strategy 4: Reduce barriers for qualified agency personnel and other certified burn managers to plan and implement RX fire
Training and Certification
Permiting
Treatment Coordination
Public and Political Outreach
Funding
- Funding Strategy 3: aims to expand wildfire response and mutual aid funding and administrative frameworks to allow support for RX fire by state staff and their cooperator pool

Subcommittee work to date on these strategies includes:

Financial Backstops: A primary recommendation is the establishment of a Colorado prescribed fire claims fund. This fund would provide a financial safety net for certified burners, trainees, and private landowners, reducing the liability risks associated with conducting prescribed burns on non-federal lands.
Workforce Training: The sub-committee emphasized increasing training opportunities for Certified Burners (CCB) and Prescribed Fire Burn Bosses (RXB3). This includes a push for more state personnel to attend national-level training (such as NIPFTC) and creating mentorship systems for emerging professionals.
Addressing Statutory Barriers: Shadduck-Nally noted that the strategy identifies 21 specific ways to address barriers to prescribed fire, including 9 opportunities for legislative intervention and 12 administrative actions within agencies like the Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) and the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS).
Collaborative Planning: She highlighted that these recommendations are a “group effort” intended to capture diverse perspectives from stakeholders across the state to ensure local governments and private landowners are included in the conversation

Q&A:

Mark Morgan recommends looking at how other states handle this and not re-invent the wheel
State Forestor Matt McCombs says that he talks to other states all the time and looks for ideas that might work in Colorado
Vaughn Jones (CO DEPC) chimed in on this as well and spoke to the range of solutions needed. Senate bill 25007 – start a prescribed fire cash claim fund, like in CA. Helps with liability. Only $100K in the fund. Also got another prescribed burn specialist position. Not ideal, but it’s a starting point. He also talked about the importance of cross-state recognition of training certifications.

30-Year Vision

Becca Samulski presented on the CFHC 30-year vision for Forest Health in Colorado to fulfill the statutory duties of the council.

Her presentation and the subsequent council discussion focused on the following key themes:

Implementation as a Roadmap: Becca emphasized that the document is a high-level vision, not a rigid annual or strategic plan. It is intended to serve as a “guiding star” or roadmap that local and regional groups can use to align their own strategic plans.
Relationship to Local Efforts: She clarified that the 30-year vision is not a replacement for local planning. Instead, it is a resource to support those activities, allowing local entities to point toward state-level alignment when seeking funding or support.
The Five Central Themes: Becca summarized the vision’s core pillars, which are aimed at achieving healthy forests by 2055:
1. Mindset and Culture Shift: Moving toward a society that coexists with fire and values active stewardship.
2. Functioning Forest Ecosystems and Resilient Watersheds: Restoring ecological processes and protecting water supplies.
3. Fire-Adapted Forests and Communities: Using fuel reduction, thinning, and prescribed fire to protect infrastructure and allow ecosystems to experience fire without devastation.
4. Cross-Boundary Collaboration: Ensuring state, federal, and private partners work together regardless of jurisdictional lines.
5. Diverse and Consistent Funding: Establishing stable revenue streams and supporting wood product markets to sustain forest management.

Finalization for 2026: The council moved toward finalizing and voting to adopt the 2025 CFHC 30-year Vision for Forest Health

1. This 2025 30-year Vision provides formal recommendations to the Governor and the state legislature
2. Our focus will now shift to stewardship tracking and securing legislative buy-in – the council is required to track progress toward this 30-year vision on an annual basis. There will be a need to set baselines, and this may require bringing in subject matter experts.

Discussion:

Commissioner Jody Shadduck McNally shared an example of how to cross-reference plans
Mark Morgan stressed the value of being flexible, because we don’t know what we will be facing 5 years from now
Director Dan Gibs will work with the Governor’s Office to figure out how the Governor will engage with the 30-Year Vision

CFHC Annual Report to the Governor (Sep 2024 – Aug 2025 Report)

Courtney Young shared the following about the CFHC Annual Report.

It includes topics covered at meetings, progress on the 30-year vision, a list of members, and administrative recommendations.

In addition to approving the Annual Report, Courtney requested input from council members through a survey to weigh in on what priorities to focus on in the next year. The top focus will continue to be the 30-year Vision. Courtney will share the results of the survey with council members. No formal vote was needed on this.

Roundtable Updates

Christina Burri, Colorado State Forest Service

Matt McComb will be sending an Opp Ed to the Colorado Sun about the projected increase in Mountain Pine Beetle outbreak, especially in the front range.

Nursery is still under development.

Denver Water and Colorado State Forest Service celebrated their 40-year partnership anniversary.

Jody Shadduck McNally, Larimer County Commissioner

Asked by the National Association of Counties to fly in and meet with a delegation on rural issues, including USDA. Is there anything we want her to share – maybe about WWIRC. Wildfire as a rural issue. Director Gibbs encouraged her to do so.

Veronica Medina, Archuleta County Commissioner

Last week was National Forest Products Week. Veronica made a proclamation through the board of county commissioners. Partnering with private entities to apply for government funding opportunities to help get grants to support industry development, to diversify the economy, help with insurance rates, and help with wildfire mitigation, etc.

Eric Toman, Colorado State University

On the workforce development side of things – completed assessment of students in the forestry sector – strong numbers across the board. Also working with community colleges on more 2+2 opportunities for students.

Abe Laydon, Douglas County

Building the state’s only county owned hanger for Helitack. Also, opening the country’s only county-owned biochar facility. Offered a tour for the council members.

Amy Moyer, Colorado River District

In Rio Blanco County, her team is learning a lot about post-fire impacts – funding, restoration, etc., in areas with less capacity.

Director Gibbs, DNR

Real challenges with the state budget, but DNR is mostly cash-funded, and they just need authority to spend it. Windi Padia, new deputy director at DNR. Already mentioned Alison’s new role – Assistant Director for Forest Health and Wildfire Mitigation, which is really an important addition. Largest funding pool ever for COSWAP this year ($6.8 million). Deadline is Nov 3. The C-9 Summit in Denver brought together the roundtables from around the state and CWCB. Great summit. Nebraska is suing CO regarding the South Platte River Compact – submitted response. Director Gibbs thinks we are in compliance.

Getting involved with the Colorado Forest Health Council

Attend meetings | Next meeting: February 11th, 2026 | All Forest Health Council meetings are open to the public and have a segment for public comment toward the end of the meeting.

Agenda and Zoom link will be posted on the Forest Health Council webpage at least 24 hours ahead of the meeting. The Colorado Forest Collaboratives Network will also distribute meeting information when we receive it.

Meeting summaries | The CFCN compiles summaries like this, along with other relevant resources, on our page Keeping Up With the Colorado Forest Health Council.

Contact | Katie McNovak, Coordinator, Colorado Forest Collaboratives Network; Forest Health Council member serving as “an individual employed by or associated with a forest collaborative organization”