Envision Forest Health Council Has Secured Grant Funds to Reduce Risk of High-Intensity Wildfire Habitat Along Highway 24

The Envision Forest Health Council, the National Forest Foundation, and Bird Conservancy of the Rockies have jointly secured $305,700 in grant funds to reduce the risk of high-intensity wildfire and restore wildlife habitat along the west side of Highway 24, north of Buena Vista.  

The new grant will be matched with $289,000 in funds from the Town of Buena Vista, the Upper Arkansas Forest Fund, and the Bureau of Land Management.   

The grant award comes courtesy of RESTORE Colorado to help fund 425 acres of forest thinning on public and private land, known as the Riverside Upland Restoration Project. Work on the Riverside Project is expected to begin in the Fall.  After the thinning is completed, these forest lands will represent yet another big step toward treating the most important lands in Chaffee County to reduce the risks of severe wildfire, as outlined in Chaffee County’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan.