Title III Forest Fee Program

How it works

The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors accepts project applications for the Title III Forest Fee Program. For the 2024-2025 round, the county said funding was available on a reimbursement basis, meaning approved project costs would be paid back after they were incurred. Project proposals could come from both inside and outside county government.

What the money covers

Eligible projects had to fit one of four categories:

• Firewise Communities Program activities: education and assistance for homeowners in fire-sensitive ecosystems using techniques in home siting, construction, landscaping, and maintenance that reduce the risk of injury, death, and home damage from wildfire.
• Search and rescue / emergency services reimbursement: reimbursement to the participating county, specifically the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office only, for search and rescue and other emergency services including firefighting and law enforcement patrols, when performed on federal land and paid for by the county.
• Training and equipment: training costs and equipment purchases directly related to those emergency services.
• Community Wildfire Protection Plan work: CWPP hazardous fuels reduction projects, wildfire mitigation assessments, removal of vegetation identified in the CWPP as contributing to fire risk, and community volunteer workdays focused on fire mitigation measures.

Amounts and matching

The county said approximately $119,549 was available for the 2024-2025 funding round. The page did not state a matching requirement or a per-project cap.

How to apply

Application forms were available on Yavapai County’s website. The county contact listed on the page was Lucy Frank, Budget Analyst, at (928) 442-5205 or lucy.frank@yavapaiaz.gov.

Timing and deadlines

The deadline for 2024-2025 applications was 2024-08-30 at 5:00 p.m. The county said applications would first be screened for funding eligibility, then reviewed by Yavapai County Emergency Management Division for greatest need, then submitted to the Board of Supervisors for preliminary funding determinations at the 2024-10-02 Board of Supervisors meeting. After publication of the preliminary project list and a 45-day notice-and-comment period, final allocations were to be approved at the 2024-12-18 Board of Supervisors meeting.