Pueblo de Cochiti will receive more than $3.2 million in federal funding to reduce wildfire risks and build protective systems for the tribal community under a new U.S. Forest Service grant program.
The pueblo was awarded $3,265,040 through the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program for its Fire Reduction through Fuel Management and Capacity Building Project, the Forest Service announced last week.
The project will include conducting a landscape analysis, procuring equipment to create fire breaks and enhance buffer zones, and removing fuel-type vegetation while conducting restoration with fire-resistant vegetation to create natural fire buffers, according to the Forest Service.
The pueblo’s project will also focus on creating community-defensible space, enhancing community capacity, and establishing baseline information and maintenance protocols for firebreaks and buffers.
“The overarching goal of the project is to reduce wildfire fuels and build protective systems for the Pueblo de Cochiti community,” the Forest Service said in its announcement.
The funding represents part of a broader $200 million federal investment in 58 wildfire protection projects across 22 states and two tribes.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the grants prioritize local knowledge and community-based solutions.
“Keeping forests healthy, resilient and productive doesn’t come from the top down, it comes from us standing alongside the people and communities we serve, and supporting practical, science-based management,” Rollins said in the release.
The Community Wildfire Defense Grant program is investing $1 billion over five years to assist at-risk communities, including tribal communities, with wildfire risk planning and mitigation on non-federal lands.
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said the collaborative approach is essential for addressing current fire conditions.
“For those communities that already have plans in place, these investments will enable immediate action to reduce wildfire risk,” Schultz said.
The Forest Service will announce a fourth funding opportunity later this year.