Wildfire Mitigation assistance Programs

in the Greater santa fe fireshed

Local Programs

Three local programs provide assistance for thinning to mitigate wildfire threat to private lands. Grant programs may have waiting lists for participation.

1. The Santa Fe Fire Department provides a labor-share program for private landowners within the City of Santa Fe. The Fire Department will cut trees and landowners will be responsible for hauling the waste. Visit this webpage or contact the Santa Fe Fire Department Wildland Division for more information. 

2. The Santa Fe-Pojoaque Soil and Water Conservation District provides a wildfire mitigation cost-share program for private landowners within the Fireshed (map on bottom left).  The grant funds 80% of the cost of projects, which have no minimum nor maximum acreage. Applications are ranked for prioritization based on various characteristics.  

Visit the Santa Fe-Pojoaque SWCD website for more details and instructions on how to apply to the program. 

3. The Forest Stewards Guild provides a wildfire mitigation cost-share program for private landowners and communities within a slightly larger Santa Fe Fireshed boundary (map on bottom right). The cost-share program funds vegetation management for wildfire mitigation within 100 feet of homes for individual property owners as well as community mitigation projects such as slash disposal days or large-acreage thinning in high-priority locations. The grant pays for 60% of the total cost of most projects and 75-90% of the total cost for low- to moderate-income landowners.  

Continue reading for more information about the Guild's program. 

Boundary for the Santa Fe-Pojoaque SWCD cost-share program.

Boundary for the Forest Stewards Guild’s wildfire mitigation cost-share program.

State and Federal Programs

Other state and national resources exist for private landowners to improve forest health, including through forest thinning. Read more about Resources for Private Forest Landowners in New Mexico here. 

The Forest Stewards Guild’s Cost-Share Program

Background: Where did this money come from?

In 2024, the Guild received a five-year, $1.3 million Community Wildfire Defense Grant for wildfire mitigation in the greater Santa Fe area. This is federal funding passed through New Mexico Forestry Division, a division of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department. A total of $350,000 was made available to help landowners pay for fuels mitigation treatments. This grant funds vegetation management, such as tree removal (not home hardening actions, such as wooden fence replacement). 

Who is eligible for cost-share funding?

Please fill out this form and we will determine your eligibility for funding. 

Want more info? Here is a full description of eligible projects.

How does the cost-share program work?

In short, the Guild will conduct a property assessment, provide a Wildfire Mitigation Plan, sign an agreement with the landowner before work begins, and return for a post-mitigation inspection to ensure the work was completed as described. Here is a step-by-step guide to the Guild’s cost-share program.

The GSFFC is a coalition of public and private organizations. The GSFFC is not a subdivision of the State of New Mexico, as defined in the state’s Open Meetings Act, §§ 10-15-1 to 10-15-4 NMSA 1978. Although federal agencies participate in the GSFFC, the Coalition is not a federal advisory board and was not created by a federal agency, as defined by the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5.U.S.C. app. 2, §§ 1 to 16 (2012). The GSFFC operates informally to support its partners, and is not incorporated as a non-profit, 501(C)(3), partnership, or other legal status.