Community Wildfire Protection Plans

Resources for creating or updating CWPPs

The State of New Mexico and collaborative stakeholders have made a concerted effort over the past 15 years to identify areas throughout the state that are at risk for wildland fires. CWPPs have become the primary mechanism for evaluating risk due to their emphasis on community involvement and assessment of local resources.

New Mexico CWPP Short Guide

This overview from FACNM offers insights into the basics of what is required, and what time and effort commitment can be expected, to create or update a CWPP. It builds on 15+ years of CWPP-writing experience within the state and references resources from the New Mexico Forestry Division (EMNRD-FD) and The Ember Alliance.

NM Forestry Division CWPP Webpage

The New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department - Forestry Division offers CWPP and CAR (Communities at Risk) guidelines, risk mapping reference materials, a library of CWPP examples, a CWPP handbook, and more to guide your CWPP journey.

Forestry Division CWPP Update Guidelines for New Mexico

CWPPs should be updated every five years to be most useful. Additionally, core teams should update priority project and action items annually to encourage engagement and maintain momentum.

These guidelines are designed to enhance a CWPP’s effectiveness and were generated from actual experiences with mitigation and large wildfires, as well as community planning processes. The update outline and checklist makes it easy for core teams to track their update progress and ensure that they are addressing all necessary items.