Yes on Prop 137 Issues Comprehensive Fact Check—Here’s What the Measure Does and Does Not Call For

Forest Thinning for Wildfire Risk Reduction Is NOT Commercial Logging or Clear-Cutting

Opponents of Prop 137 falsely claim the measure is a green light for commercial logging and clear-cutting. Here is the truth: Prop 137 will help reduce the threat of wildfire statewide through science-backed, forest maintenance best practices to protect our communities and water. Forest thinning for wildfire risk reduction is NOT commercial logging or clear-cutting.

That’s why a broad coalition of community leaders and conservation organizations supports Prop 137, including Conservation Colorado, The Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Land, Western Resource Advocates, Environmental Defense Fund, The Wilderness Society, NRDC Action Fund, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, National Wildlife Federation, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and more.

And while opponents say, “you cut trees, it’s logging,” forest scientists, land managers, wildfire experts and the broader environmental community reject that claim, as outlined below. Colorado has not had a viable logging industry for decades, and Prop 137 will not create one.

❌ MYTH: Prop 137 is just a cover for commercial logging and clear-cutting.

✅ FACT: Forest thinning is an essential wildfire risk-reduction tool, not commercial logging.

Commercial logging is driven by timber profits and can involve the clear-cutting of large stands of mature trees. Prop 137, by contrast, funds targeted forest thinning. It’s critical work that costs money rather than making any. This precise, scientifically managed process includes removing small, overgrown brush and dangerously dense trees—called “ladder fuels”—that allow fires to climb into the forest canopy, where flames move faster and are harder to fight. Thinning restores forests to their natural, resilient state; it does not clear-cut them.
Source: From Overgrowth to Renewal

“We are not talking about backcountry logging. This is community-based, smaller-scale funding for work on one to 300 acres adjacent to where people live. We have got to do something now. We have to do the right thing to protect these watersheds, or we are going to lose them.”
—Scott Fitzwilliams, former head of the White River National Forest, the busiest forest in the nation.

❌ MYTH: Forest thinning doesn’t actually stop or slow down wildfires.

✅ FACT: The data proves forest thinning significantly reduces fire severity.

Overgrown forests and hazardous fuel loads present serious risks for many Colorado communities. A recent, comprehensive analysis of peer-reviewed scientific research found that forest thinning, especially when paired with prescribed fire, reduces wildfire severity by up to 72%. By reducing the density of the forest, land managers can restore natural forest conditions to help fires stay closer to the ground, where they are less destructive and easier for firefighters to control.
Source: ScienceDirect Meta-Analysis on Wildfire Severity

❌ MYTH: Leaving the forest completely alone is the best way to protect nature.

✅ FACT: Inaction leads to catastrophic, unnatural mega-fires.

A century of fire suppression has left our forests unnaturally dense and less able to recover after wildfire. Without restoring natural forest conditions, forests become dense, overgrown landscapes with massive fuel loads. Thinning not only helps prevent these disastrous mega-fires that put our communities at risk, but recent studies also show it improves ecosystem health by increasing drought resilience and helping preserve crucial winter snowpack.
Sources: UW News—Forest thinning and snowpack resilience and Fast-moving wildfires leave forests less able to recover, study finds

❌ MYTH: There are no guidelines or guardrails on wildfire mitigation.

✅ FACT: Prop 137 includes detailed criteria for project funding.

Prop 137 includes specific language directing funding to projects that mitigate wildfire risk in Coloradans’ backyards, mostly within 1-2 miles of the built environment. By law, these programs prioritize the protection of people, property and water in high wildfire risk areas, and the guidelines direct investment in:

• Proactive work to help prevent severe wildfires.
• Restoration of areas susceptible to flood and erosion after a wildfire.
• Defensible space projects.
• Community planning for wildfire protection.
• Workforce development.

Prop 137 will not fund large-scale forest management projects in roadless or backcountry areas. No permanent infrastructure or roads can be funded by Prop 137.

“Prop 137 supports local, regional and state-level change that prepares our communities for wildfires and keeps our homes, lands and waters protected. Wildfire preparedness is generational; community-based solutions and state-led funding are key. If you want to ensure that our kids and future generations can also enjoy the places we love as Coloradans today, then a ‘yes’ on Prop 137 is a priority.”
—Jennifer Mueller, CEO of The Ember Alliance

Prop 137 does not “tie lawmakers’ hands,” earmark the budget or lack accountability

❌ MYTH: Prop 137 ties lawmakers’ hands and could result in cuts to healthcare and education in lean budget years.

✅ FACT: Prop 137 was expressly designed to provide legislative flexibility in lean budget years.

Programs supported by Prop 137 will be fully funded in strong revenue years—at no cost to other state priorities—and reduced if needed in leaner years.

In years when revenue exceeds the TABOR cap, Prop 137 allows the state to keep an amount equal to the sales tax revenue already collected on sporting goods and invest it in urgently needed conservation and wildfire risk reduction projects. When fully funded, Prop 137 is expected to provide more than $175 million to protect Colorado’s land and water and prevent wildfires.

In years without a surplus, money will come from the General Fund, but, as with all statutory measures, the Legislature has the flexibility to reduce wildfire and conservation funding as needed to meet core governmental needs and address emergencies.

Prop 137 was written to provide flexibility to address the state’s fiscal challenges, especially in years when the budget is tight. Over time, the measure will significantly increase funding to protect communities from wildfire, secure water resources and conserve Colorado’s iconic landscapes without adding further budgetary challenges that could result from a constitutional measure.

The Yes on Prop 137 campaign expects and supports adjustments in lean years to ensure core state functions continue as needed.

“Colorado’s outdoors belong to us all, and we must take care of it for future generations. That’s why I support Proposition 137, which would dedicate a portion of sales taxes toward conserving our lands, protecting outdoor recreation opportunities and wildfire resilience. And given the state’s fiscal challenges, I am encouraged by the Prop. 137 proponents’ legislative intent and assurances to me that, in leaner budget years without TABOR refunds, this measure is not intended to and will not reduce the General Fund. That’s a responsible way to ensure these important priorities are supported while not reducing critical funds for K-12 schools and healthcare.”
—Phil Weiser, Colorado Attorney General

❌ MYTH: This measure is an attack on TABOR. If wildfire and conservation are important, the State Legislature should handle it.

✅ FACT: Prop 137 works within TABOR, pursuing one of the only means for Coloradans to pay for urgent priorities.

TABOR limits all available funds, regardless of legislators’ directives, and this contributes to the $200 million annual funding shortfall for wildfire and forest health efforts statewide.

Prop 137 offers a solution. It empowers Coloradans to decide how excess tax funds should be used and lets voters make a proactive choice at the ballot box this year—to invest a few dollars now to help prevent crises that will cost us more in the long term.

❌ MYTH: Prop 137 is just a blank check for the government.

✅ FACT: Prop 137 locks in a specific funding formula to guarantee conservation priorities are met.

Prop 137 revenue is split between the Colorado Wildfire Prevention & Water Fund (47.5%), Great Outdoors Colorado (47.5%), the Outdoor Equity Grant Program (2.5%) and the Outdoor Recreation Economic Development Cash Fund (2.5%). Prop 137 funds cannot be used outside of these set buckets. Each grant program already exists and powers valuable on-the-ground work but currently lacks enough funding to meet significant statewide needs. Each program follows reporting requirements to show where funds were used to meet identified needs.

Prop 137 includes fiscal accountability by directing funding to these established, successful wildfire, conservation and recreation programs. Each is governed and audited by nonpartisan boards, is financially accountable under state law and is subject to state audit. This guarantees the money directly supports vital water, land and wildfire protection projects as well as efforts to bolster outdoor access.