Grants available to protect homes from forest fires

Heather Hasty

Valley Press

The Northwest Resource Conservation and Development has made a grant available to home owners in Sanders County to create defensible space around the home site to protect them from wildfires.

The program is basically a cost share program, the property owner is reimbursed 75 percent of the estimated cost of creating the defensible space, as determined by the Sanders County Community Forester. The work can be done by either the property owner or a contractor but generally involves the thinning of trees, pruning of trees and disposing of the created debris.

Previously $145,000 was available and paid out under the program and 82 home sites were treated.

“People have been pretty receptive of the program for the most part,” Rick Carlson, the Community Forester said.

Recently another $40,000 has become available and applications are being accepted.

“I’m guessing from a dozen to 20 homes could be done,” Carlson said, “the cost really varies from one end of the county to the other.”

Carlson also said that he has seen land of varying sizes, everything from a half acre to eight to ten acres has been approved with the grant. As he is the one that gives the estimates on the property he also provides people that wish to create the defensible space with a list of contractors that can do the work.

“I try to keep everything in the county,” Carlson said “There are plenty of contractors that do it.”

The defensible space grant program is administered through the NRC and D which services the four northwest counties of Montana. Applications for the program are available from Rick Carlson at 406-826-3353. Should there be more applicants then available funds the Sanders County Fire Plan will be used to prioritize who is selected for the program. When an applicant is selected the community forester will visit the property with the owner and determine the work that is needed to be done and estimate the cost. An agreement is then signed and a one year limit is set to complete the work. The money must be used by June 2010 or is no longer available.

“Generally people get after it in March since we have the closed burning season through the winter,” Carlson said.