Signed! Bill to Prevent Catastrophic Wildfires

DENVER, CO – Governor Jared Polis today signed bipartisan legislation into law to combat destructive wildfires through strategic prescribed burns. 

SB25-007, sponsored by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County, and Senator Janice Marchman, D-Loveland, and Representatives Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs, and Ron Weinberg, R-Loveland, encourages the use of prescribed burns as a wildfire resilience tool. 

“Because of the real impacts of climate change, we are living with an unpredictable and increasing threat of devastating wildfires,” said Cutter. “As a longtime member of the Wildfire Matters Review Committee, I am committed to championing solutions that address all facets of this issue. Prescribed burning is an important tool in the toolbox to help protect Coloradans and our forests.”

“Wildfire season is year-round in Colorado, and our communities need all the wildfire mitigation tools available,” said Velasco. “This law will make it easier for communities to conduct prescribed burns, which are a cost-effective way to reduce the amount of fuel available for a wildfire. Fire is a natural part of our ecosystem, and with the guidance of a certified burn manager, Colorado communities can take steps today to reduce the size and intensity of destructive wildfires in the future.”

“We’ve learned so many lessons from the catastrophic wildfires of recent years, and among the most important of those is to be prepared,” said Marchman. “It is imperative that we strengthen our use of proactive, science-backed approaches like prescribed burns to address dangerous conditions and keep our forests healthy before we find ourselves in a disastrous situation.”

Low-intensity fire, applied through prescribed burns overseen by burn managers, can reduce fuel loads and restore fire-adapted ecosystems. SB25-007 will strengthen Colorado’s wildfire mitigation efforts by encouraging controlled, prescribed burns. To keep communities safe, plans for prescribed burns must be reviewed by the Division of Fire Prevention and Control. 

As recommended by the Wildfire Matters Review Committee, this new law will compensate Coloradans if their property is damaged during prescribed burns. It will also address workforce shortages that are a barrier to expanding the use of prescribed fires by allowing interstate reciprocity in the certified burner program, which certifies individuals to conduct prescribed burns.

Additionally, this law better allows utility companies to perform wildfire mitigation, broadening access to a financing mechanism that will reduce mitigation costs. To ensure state oversight, plans must be approved by the Public Utilities Commission.