EVERGREEN, Colo. (KDVR)– As the summer season heats up and wildfire risks grow with increasing drought conditions across Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis is outlining the danger and efforts to stop wildfires from growing out of control.

The governor was joined by Executive Director of the Department of Natural Resources Dan Gibbs and other local leaders Monday to discuss the administration’s efforts to prevent wildfires and a new law that provides forest restoration and wildfire risk mitigation grants for projects on federal lands.

“Colorado now has a nearly year-round fire season and our administration in partnership with the legislature are stepping up to better support first responders and communities. More work needs to be done to help protect our homes, our forests and our air so we are continuing our efforts and committing ourselves to significantly expand our wildfire prevention work,” Polis said at the news conference Monday morning.

Through the new law, the state established the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program or COSWAP. It invests more than $17 million in state stimulus money to start local mitigation efforts in communities at larger risk for wildfires.

COSWAP covers 41 projects across 17 of the state’s counties. The projects cover 3,664 acres for mitigation efforts, and the state is also investing in grants to train 150 people for the wildfire prevention workforce.