Colordo Proposal Would Require County Wildfire-Prep Plans

A Colorado legislative committee studying the wildfire threat in Colorado is proposing a requirement that all counties have wildfire preparedness plans.

The committee also is looking to put $50 million over five years into wildfire mitigation efforts.

State Sen. Mike Kopp says that in an unprecedented move, the money would be used to reduce forest fire risk not only on state and private land but also on federal land.

The committee also is proposing incentives for people to become volunteer firefighters and for businesses to harvest trees killed by bark beetles. Those trees can be fuel for devastating fires.

Terry McCann, a regional spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service, says the agency supports the committee’s efforts.