The Wyoming State Forestry Division kicked off the new Forest Health Grant Program with a webinar on April 9. The program was introduced this legislative session in HB 78, which set aside $3.5 million for projects related to forest health.
Representatives with forestry specified that eligible work should focus on at least one of five areas: enhancing water yield or quality, reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire damage, increasing production of forest products, improving habitat or general forest health.
Harrison Brookes with the Forestry Division led the webinar and provided examples of potential projects, including fire breaks, aspen enhancements, or the removal of beetle-infested or diseased trees.
The grants are open to nonprofit and government organizations on the federal and state level, like the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, U.S. Forest Service and Wyoming conservation districts. While private citizens are not eligible to apply, work can be done on private land through partnerships with agencies.
Brookes said that the main criteria when evaluating applications will be how well they meet the five focus areas. The review committee will also be looking for projects that involve multiple agencies or landowners.
“We are looking for things that are going to maximize the impact across the landscape and benefit the citizens or local communities that are going to be impacted by those projects,” said Brookes. “It’s been shown in natural resource work, that work is more impactful when it has those connections and crosses larger areas.”
Grant applications will be open from April 15 to May 14, and will be reviewed by a committee of forest health experts.
