HB 22-1012

House Bill 22-1012, known as Wildfire Mitigation and Recovery, requires the state forest service to create a statewide carbon accounting system that tracks carbon levels in different types of forests and wood products across Colorado. This bill also mandates the development of training programs for forest management practices aimed at reducing wildfire risks while monitoring carbon emissions. The bill allocates funding from existing environmental funds to support these initiatives, including $3 million transferred to the Healthy Forests and Vibrant Communities Fund. Since it has been signed into law, this means that the state is now committed to implementing these measures to help mitigate wildfires and manage forest resources more effectively.

Official Summary

The act requires the state forest service, on and after September 1, 2022, to develop a publicly accessible statewide carbon accounting framework that yields carbon stock and flux estimates for: Ecosystems by county and forest cover type; and Wood products. The state forest service must also develop a forest carbon co-benefit framework for project-level forest management practices, including wildfire mitigation. The state forest service must use this framework to train practitioners in adaptive management practices to be incorporated into current forest management practices, including wildfire mitigation. The state forest service must provide technical expertise to assist industry and landowners with carbon inventories and monitoring. The act also allows money from the existing healthy forests and vibrant communities fund to be used for new purposes, including the new statewide carbon accounting framework. For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, the act: Transfers $3,000,000 and appropriates $95,407 from the general fund to the healthy forests and vibrant communities fund; Transfers $2,200,000 from the general fund to the forest restoration and wildfire risk mitigation grant program cash fund; and Transfers $2,00,000 from the general fund to the wildfire mitigation capacity development fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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