Wildfire mitigation funding in Torrance County, New Mexico

Claunch-Pinto Soil & Water Conservation District (Mountainair, NM — covers southern Torrance County plus parts of Socorro, Lincoln and Valencia counties)

Up to 80% of project cost, paid as reimbursement

The district will underwrite up to 80% of the cost of tree-thinning work on approved private property in the Estancia Basin watershed. The landowner works with the district on a Resource Management Plan, pays the thinning contractor directly, and is then reimbursed by the district. The district's site does not publish acreage limits, deadlines, or whether there is currently a waitlist — a homeowner should call the district (505-847-2372) to confirm current funding before counting on it.

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