PURPOSE
A unique aspect to the Wildfire Risk Reduction Grant (WRRG) program was the inclusion of funding for monitoring to examine the effectiveness of fire mitigation activities and grant resources. The Colorado Forest Restoration Institute (CFRI) housed at Colorado State University designed and implemented a monitoring process to measure changes in fire potential and fuel hazard reduction accomplished with WRRG funds. Comprehensive on the ground fuels measurements are being collected before and after fire mitigation activities at a subset of WRRG projects to learn from the range of forest conditions, geographies, and vegetation management techniques being implemented around the state. Through 2016, CFRI has measured more than 500 monitoring plots at over 30 sites that have received WRRG funds. The monitoring process developed by CFRI is easily replicated and is being utilized by natural resource professionals such as the Colorado State Forest Service for other fire mitigation projects outside the WRRG program. In addition to measuring fire hazard, social and economic factors related to fuel reduction treatments and equipment purchases are being analyzed to determine the overall effectiveness of WRRG program funds.