A Republican bill creating incentives for landowners who take steps to prevent wildfires was signed into law today by the governor. 

At a signing ceremony in Summit County—arguably one of the regions most affected by pine-beetle devastation and wildfires—Gov. Bill Ritter gave his approval to House Bill 1110, adding it to the Colorado law books.  The bill, crafted by Sen. Mike Kopp, R-Littleton, and Rep. Rob Witwer, R-Genesee, gives landowners the ability to write off a major portion of the costs to prep their property against the threat of wildfires.

“This is an important first step to ensure the protection of our mountain communities,” Kopp said. “The nation learned too many lessons from watching the Southern California mountain communities burn not to take aggressive action to mitigate the threat of catastrophic wildfires.”

The law grants a $2,500 tax deduction to homeowners living in an area that has a community wildfire-protection plan.  Kopp said they hope it will encourage homeowners to take the protection of their land into their own hands as the wildfire season rapidly approaches. 

Kopp and Witwer say they came up with the idea for the bill because the issue simply hit too close to home to be ignored.  Kopp—who is a former “hot shot” forest firefighter and also the son of a firefighter—says wants to take what he calls a lifetime of education on the subject of forest fires and put it to good use for his foothills constituents.  They are often in serious danger due the high frequency of wildfires in that area.

Witwer, whose Front Range district includes the site of the Hi Meadow fire and the Buffalo Creek fire in recent years, says he is relieved to see the bill signed into law because the state cannot afford to sit on its hands.

Kopp, who also did his master’s thesis on the issue of wildfire mitigation, recommends that homeowners create and maintain a defensible space around their homes.  He also says that in order to qualify for the deduction, proper access must be provided to and from the homes and that a viable water supply should established to aid in fire-fighting efforts.  The Colorado State Forest Service echoed these recommendations.

The bill was a part of Kopp and Witwer’s comprehensive bill package to promote healthy forests and prepare for future wildfires.