CWPP: A Plan to Save Your Property
The Spark: Wildfire Preparedness is Year Round
Howdy, neighbor!
Planning for wildfire takes a village. This month's edition of The Spark bulletin goes over a crucial step in that process: the Community Wildfire Protection Plan.
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A Community Wildfire Protection Plan – usually called a CWPP – is a plan that a county or community creates to prepare itself for future wildfire. This plan identifies where risks are, what could be done to mitigate them, and who's best suited to tackle these concerns.
How Does It Work?
CWPPs are developed by local governments working alongside fire departments, non-governmental organizations, and land managers.
Residents are also invited to participate as they know things about their neighborhood that nobody else does — where the overgrown lots are, which roads wash out, where vulnerable neighbors live. A finished CWPP document includes maps showing which areas face the highest risk, priorities for clearing hazardous vegetation, recommendations for making homes less likely to ignite, and evacuation planning. Every community is different, though, so every plan is, too.
Why Get Involved with a CWPP?
The planning process builds relationships between neighbors, local organizations and first responders: the kind of relationships that matter when wildfire strikes. The process also forces hard conversations about where to focus a county or community's limited time and money. Communities with an approved CWPP become eligible for funding that they may not qualify for otherwise, and federal agencies prioritize communities that have done this planning work when allocating money for fuel reduction and other mitigation efforts.
Keeping Your CWPP Current
A CWPP isn't a one-and-done document. Conditions change — new homes get built, completed treatment projects alter the landscape. New Mexico Forestry Division's Fire Planning Task Force recommends updating CWPPs every five years to keep the plan relevant and maintain eligibility for funding.
TIPS
- Visit NM Forestry Division's website to see whether your county or community already has a CWPP.
- Attend public meetings when they're announced. This is where decisions get made.
ACTION ITEMS
- Learn about New Mexico's CWPP process and guidelines. A Short Guide is also available through FACNM.
- Contact your county emergency manager or local fire department to ask about your area's CWPP status. Learn more by visiting the CWPP Portal and Data Library.
- Are you already involved? View this Leaders Guide to developing CWPPs and this detailed handbook.
- Counties may apply for grant funding towards 2026-27 CWPPs through the NM Counties Wildfire Risk Reduction Program. Deadline is February 27.
Members of the public and local officials participate in a community mapping exercise. Photo courtesy fireadapted.org.
The Spark: Wildfire Preparedness is Year Round is a joint production of the Forest Stewards Guild, Bureau of Land Management - New Mexico, New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute, New Mexico Forestry Division, U.S. Forest Service, and Fire Adapted NM Learning Network. Learn more and read past issues at facnm.org.
