Wildfire mitigation funding in Santa Fe County, New Mexico

Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition, with the Forest Stewards Guild (a county-scoped local collaborative; the money behind it is a 2024 federal Community Wildfire Defense Grant award, so de-duplicate against any federal layer)

Assessment free; 60% of recommended thinning cost, up to 75–90% for low- to moderate-income landowners

A homeowner inside the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed first gets a free 30-to-60-minute on-site wildfire hazard assessment from a certified Fireshed Coordinator and a written report. The report email includes a link to apply for the cost-share, which reimburses part of the cost of the recommended thinning around the home — 60% for most landowners and up to 90% for low- to moderate-income landowners. Assessments are scheduled online or by emailing the coordinator, and the program is funded through 2029. Note that eligibility follows the fireshed boundary map, not the full county line.

Santa Fe County Public Works — Solid Waste Division

Free — normal disposal fees waived on 12 designated days in 2026

Santa Fe County waives disposal fees on 12 designated days in 2026 so residents can drop off tree trimmings, branches, leaves and yard waste at the Stanley, Jacona and Eldorado collection centers. The county explicitly frames this as wildfire-risk reduction: "Properly disposing of green waste helps reduce wildfire risk." Open to county residents with a valid solid waste permit. Dates are April 10-11, May 8-9, June 12-13, July 10-11, August 7-8 and September 4-5. Accepted material is trimmings under 18 inches in diameter — no stumps, root balls, weeds, cholla, lumber or construction debris. This waives disposal cost only; it is not a grant and no crew comes to the property.

Santa Fe-Pojoaque Soil & Water Conservation District

80% of project cost per the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition listing (percentage not published on the district's own page)

Private landowners inside the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed boundary can get cost-share funding for forest thinning and defensible-space work by submitting the district's Landowner Request for Assistance form (mail or email to sfpswcd@gmail.com). The district's own page confirms the program and the application form but does not itself publish the cost-share percentage; the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition lists it at 80% of project cost with no minimum or maximum acreage. Confirm the current rate and any waitlist with the district before relying on the number.

NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Cost-share, varies by practice and state

Pays part of the cost of conservation practices on private land, including forest-management and fuels-reduction work that lowers wildfire risk. This is the main federal program an individual landowner can apply to directly.

Who qualifies: Owners of non-industrial private forestland, agricultural producers, and Tribes. A written Forest Management Plan is required before financial assistance is approved. Available practices, funding pools and cutoff dates are set state by state.

• !Property must be non-industrial private forestland or agricultural land — a standard suburban lot generally will not qualify
• !A Forest Management Plan must be written for the property before assistance is approved
• !The agricultural-land route additionally requires a USDA Farm Service Agency farm/tract number, which most residential homeowners do not have
• !Application cutoffs are set per state; contact your local NRCS office for the current window