The Department of Agriculture Monday announced the application period for the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program. Now in its second year, the competitive program is designed to assist at-risk communities, including Tribal communities, non-profit organizations, state forestry agencies and Alaska Native Corporations with planning for and mitigating wildfire risks. Applications will be accepted for 90 days.
The announcement comes after $197 million was awarded to 99 project proposals across 22 states and seven Tribes during the first year of funding. The projects directly support the Forest Service’s ten-year strategy to treat up to 20 million acres of national forests and grasslands and 30 million acres of other lands to reduce wildfire risks. Individual grants will fund up to $250,000 to create and update community wildfire protection plans and up to $10 million for associated wildfire resilience projects.
The number of projects selected will be determined by available funding, which is up to $250 million.
