Hirono announces $5.6M in wildfire preparation funds for Hawaiʻi

US Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) announced that the US Forest Service is awarding more than $5.6 million to help plan for and prevent wildfires in Hawaiʻi. The funding, made available through the Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) Program, will be allocated to nine projects across the state to help at-risk communities plan for and reduce the risk of wildfires.

“The devastating wildfires in Lahaina last year illustrated how vulnerable Hawaiʻi communities are to wildfire,” said Hirono. “As Maui continues working to recover and rebuild, I am glad to see this funding coming to the University of Hawaiʻi and communities across our islands to help plan for and reduce the risk of future wildfires.”

This funding will be allocated to the following projects:

• University of Hawaiʻi – over $4.6 million for provisioning plant materials for fire risk mitigation to underserved communities of Hawaiʻi. This funding will be used to increase and improve availability of native and non-native, non-invasive seeds needed to support fuel conversion for fire risk mitigation, mitigate post-fire impacts such as erosion, and restore native ecosystems following a wildfire. This project will also establish seed sharing protocols and educational resources for community-based projects in collection, cultivation, processing, and storage to increase seed supplies.
• Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization:
  • Lānaʻi CWPP – over $97,000 to develop a new CWPP for the island of Lānaʻi
  • Western Oʻahu CWPP – over $135,000 to update the Western Oʻahu CWPP
  • Upcountry Maui CWPP – over $130,000 to update the Upcountry Maui CWPP
  • Molokaʻi CWPP – over $140,000 to update the Molokaʻi CWPP
  • Hawaiʻi Fire Department, Hilo CWPP – over $125,000 to update Hilo’s CWPP, which includes surrounding areas
  • Central Oʻahu CWPP – over $134,000 to develop a CWPP for Central Oʻahu
  • Puna, Hawaiʻi Island CWPP – over $128,000 to develop a CWPP for the area encompassing Puna District
  • Windward Oʻahu CWPP – over $131,000 to develop a CWPP for Windward Oʻahu

This announcement follows a letter Hirono sent to US Forest Service Chief Randy Moore in November 2023 in strong support of Hawaiʻi’s applications for CWDG funding.

The CWDG Program was established to protect communities, infrastructure, and natural resources from the threat of wildfires. This program was made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Senator Hirono supported, and provides funding to communities to develop and revise Community Wildfire Protection Plans and to implement projects described in CWPPs that are less than 10 years old.