Table of Contents
Summary by Katie McNovak, Colorado Forest Health Council Member serving as “an individual employed by or associated with a forest collaborative organization.”
This document summarizes points from the August 26, 2026 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 is not an official Forest Health Council document.
Colorado Forest Health Council Openings
There are currently three openings on Colorado Forest Health Council:
- An individual who owns a ranch and has grazing rights on public lands
- An enrolled member of a tribe that has a reservation in Colorado
- An individual who is a conservation district board supervisor or who is an employee of conservation district
If you fit the criteria for one of these openings, click here to apply to join the Colorado Forest Health Council.
Federal Policy Update
Speaker: Risa Fish, Legislative Assistant for Representative Brittany Pettersen
Representative Brittany Petterson recently introduced a 6-bill bipartisan wildfire mitigation package.
The bills included in this package are:
- Wildfire Responder Protection Act – ‘to amend title 5, United States Code, to modify certain requirements for employees in fire protection activities for worker’s compensation under chapter 81 of such title, and for other purposes.’ Bill text // Current information
- Wildfire Research Coordination Act – ‘to direct the Secretary of Defense to enter into an inter-agency memorandum of understanding for coordination on research and technology priorities relating to fire science, and for other purposes.’ Bill text // Current information
- Emergency Mountain Pine Beetle Response Act – ‘to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the Mountain Pine Beetle Response Program under which the Secretary may issue competitive grants for use carrying out emergency mountain pine beetle response projects on National Forest Service Lands, and for other purposes.’ Bill text // current updates
- Mountain Pine Beetle Coordination Act – ‘to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to enter into cooperative agreements with certain entities to address mountain pine beetle infestations and reduce associated wildfire risk, and for other purposes.’ Bill text // current updates
- Guaranteed Disaster Assistance Act – ‘to require the President to carry out the hazard mitigation program under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.’ Bill text // current updates
- HUD Disaster Information Improvements Act – ‘to require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Administrators of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration to establish a memorandum of understanding to share disaster relief data and information, and for other purposes.’ Bill text // current updates
You can read more about the package in this press release.
Troy Heithecker, Regional Forester, US Forest Service
- US Forest Service reorganization is ongoing, shifting toward a state model.
- Forest Trends kicked off Protect What Matters campaign formally on August 25, 2025. Attendees looked at fuels treatments in Jefferson County, met with community members, and debuted the media campaign.
- NOTE: Forest Trends presented at the 2026 Colorado Forest Collaboratives Summit, and the CFCN will share updates as the media campaign and other materials become public!
- Appropriations bill for this year included requirement for USFS to conduct an independent 3rd party study on the impacts/considerations of consolidating USFS fire with DOI fire service. Learn more here. Study is under contract, expected to be complete in the next few months.
- State Director announcements expected late fall or early winter.
State Policy Updates
Alison Lerch, Assistant Director, Forest Health and Wildfire Mitigation, Colorado Department of Natural Resources
- HB 26-1205 CSFS Good Neighbor Authority Bill – Passed. This bill came from last year’s Legislative Committee recommendations. The act changes state law to reflect changes to federal law that expand the authority of states, counties, and tribal governments to enter into good neighbor agreements with the federal government to carry out recreation and improvement services on land.
- Wildfire Matters Review Committee has sunset.
- DNR is developing legislative agenda for next session. Will ultimately need to be approved by the next administration. DNR will be in a transition phase.
2025-2026 #308 Designate Sporting Goods Sales Tax Revenue for Conservation
Speakers: Brendan Witt & Tarn Udall, Western Resources Advocates
Note: The Colorado Forest Health Council does not have a position on this ballot initative.
Ballot Initiative 308 has made it onto the ballot, and is henceforth known as Proposition 137, “Direct Sporting Goods Sales Tax Revenue for Conservation”. You can read the ballot measure text here.
Information about Prop 137:
- The initiative would exempt money already being received from a sales tax on sporting goods equipment from TABOR. When revenue exceeds the TABOR cap, the state would be able to direct up to $175 million to these programs: Great Outdoors Colorado, wildfire risk reduction and forest health (COSWAP, FRWRM, HFVC, and WRAP), CPW Outdoor Equity Grant Program, and Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office.
- In year 1 only, the initiative would direct $10mil into the prescribed fire claims fund.
Discussion:
- It sounds like the funding could be variable based on the budget and year. Consistency is key, particularly for the forest products industry. Need to consider how there will be consistency.
- Director Mike Morgan, Division of Fire Prevention and Control: We as a state need to stay focused on a cohesive, holistic strategy. One concern is workforce. How are we going to invest in workforce? We don’t even have workforce to build and dispose of the piles. Also, need to focus on prescribed fire risk – need right time, right place, right resources. Need investments to do it right. Prescribed fire claims fund is good, but if something escapes like Lower North Fork Fire, it will halt prescribed fire regardless of a claims fund. These things still need to be worked on in the proposition.
- With a big increase in funding, there are a lot of questions about how implementation of new revenue will move forward. As an example, one idea could be to update focus areas for grant programs. How will these conversations take place? Can CFHC be an appropriate venue to keep these convos going?
- Dan Gibbs: If this passed, we’d look at all programs and right-size staff, review priorities, etc. We should be revisiting these things regularly, and even more so if we had a lot of new funding. Some of these changes require legislative action, others don’t. We can look into both.
Legislative Committee Update
Speaker: Larimer County Commissioner Jody Shadduck-McNally (Committee Chair)
The Legislative Committee has voted on five 2027 Legislative Recommendations. You can view the recommendations here.
Since the Wildfire Matters Review Committee is not meeting, the committee has been discussing ways to engage with stakeholders and legislators to move the recommendations forward.
Leveraging Resources Committee Update
Speaker: Katie McNovak (Committee Chair)
- Committee has been focusing in on how we can connect dots between initiatives, keep initiatives alive and thriving. Forest Resilience Planning Guide, Forest Tracker, 30 Year Vision, climate adaptation workshop, etc.
- We maintain these standing agenda items: Wildfire Watershed Initiative for Resilient Colorado (WWIRC), Forest Resilience Planning Guide
Colorado Fire Commission's Prescribed Fire Subcommittee & Forest Improvement District Subcommittee Update
Speaker: Katie Lobodzinski
Prescribed Fire Subcommittee
- This committee has been learning more about options for prescribed fire liability insurance. Will be meeting with a WWIRC subgroup that has been working on woodpile liability insurance questions. Bringing in prescribed fire insurance experts from other states.
- Have also been hearing from people who have run successful collaborative burn projects between DFPC and city/county leaders. There are examples in Grand County and Summit County.
- Newly released! Colorado Fire Commission Annual Report
Forest Improvement District Subcommittee
- Committee worked for a year on these questions: What is an FID? Why hasn’t anyone done one? What changes need to be made to make it a more usable tool?
- Made a suite of recommendations, now available in annual report (page 21)
Ponderosa Mountain Pine Beetle Task Force Update
Speaker: Director Dan Gibbs, Department of Natural Resources
The Task Force has had 12 meetings since February.
Members have formed 6 working groups to research and identify recommendations:
- Science and research
- Local engagement and communications
- Forest health and watersheds
- Fire risk and management
- Timber markets
- Policy and funding
Next full Task Force meeting: Sept 22nd, 10:00am – 3:00pm | Visit Task Force website for details.
By December 1st, 2026, the Task Force will start presenting recommendations and meeting with local governments, agencies, etc. will also come to this group at that point.
Agency Updates
Colorado State Forest Service
Update from Director / State Forester Matt McCombs
- First crop of baby trees is growing in the new CSFS nursery.
- Attended the Protect What Matters film launch.
Bureau of Land Management
Update from John Ring
- Modified Good Neighbor Authority agreement between CSFS and BLM.
- BLM is seeing moderate budget cuts across all programs.
- Timber sale after Gold Mountain Fire.
- Fuels and fire folks have all moved to Wildland Fire Service; navigating that relationship moving forward.
Department of Natural Resources
Update from Director Dan Gibbs
- Colorado in historic drought. Governor activated Drought Task Force in March; this was the earliest it’s ever been activated. Declared statewide drought emergency. This is a procedural step in state Hazard Mitigation Plan, opens opportunity to access certain funds.
- Recently released: Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program (COSWAP) 5-Year Impact Report
- Laser focused on Colorado River. Another press release of interest: Interior Department Finalizes Plans for 2027-2028 Colorado River Operations
- State of Nevada has filed a lawsuit on the NEPA component of the 2-year plan included in press release above.
Upcoming Meetings
Next full-Council quarterly meeting: November 19, 2026 | hybrid | in-person location TBD | time TBD (typically lasts most of a day)
Legislative Committee | Meets every other Friday from 8:30-9:30am | Next few meetings: 9/18, 10/2, 10/16, etc.
Leveraging Resources Committee | Meets on the 2nd Monday of each month | September meeting postponed to 3rd Monday (9/21) | Next few meetings after that: 10/12, 11/9, etc.
