USDA Funding Opportunities: Wildfire Risk Reduction, Model Intercomparison Studies in Agricultural Systems, and Forest Landowner Support
USDA Funding Opportunities: Wildfire Risk Reduction, Model Intercomparison Studies in Agricultural Systems, and Forest Landowner Support
- Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance Program – applications due September 5, 2024
- The USDA Forest Service is seeking proposals and/or projects that aim to enhance the removal of hazardous fuels from National Forest System lands and that promote the utilization of these wood resources to benefit the economy.
- Eligible applicants include for-profit entities, non-profit entities, state governments, local governments, Tribal entities, and education institutions. Manufacturing facilities, wood energy companies, and logging contractors are able to apply.
- Model Intercomparison and Improvement for Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas Emission Estimation from Agriculture – applications due October 4, 2024
- The USDA announced this funding opportunity for a four-year cooperative agreement to support the coordination, implementation, and management of model intercomparison studies in agricultural systems. The purpose of the cooperative model intercomparison study is to assess and advance the state of science for carbon (C) sequestration and GHG emission modeling for agriculture. Soil C sequestration and GHG emissions in cropland and grassland systems and their interactions with different climate smart mitigation practices will be the focus of the study. Model developers and users will work collaboratively to conduct model simulations with consistent input scenarios for assessing model performance and identifying opportunities to reduce uncertainties.
- Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education and nonprofits in the Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU) network.
- USDA Forest Service Inflation Reduction Act Forest Landowner Support: Landowner Payment Programs for Carbon Stewardship Practices & Landowner Cost Share Payment Programs for Climate Mitigation and/or Forest Resilience Practices – applications due September 30, 2024
- The Landowner Payment Programs for Carbon Stewardship Practices provides financial compensation to private forest landowners for implementing practices that enhance carbon sequestration and storage. Applicants must propose scientifically-supported practices that represent a shift from 'business-as-usual' management and emphasize shared learning, replicability, and scalability. Practices must be implemented on rural lands with existing tree cover or suitable for growing trees, and the program encourages engagement with underserved landowners.
- The Landowner Cost Share Payment Programs for Climate Mitigation and/or Forest Resilience Practices supports state-endorsed programs that issue cost share payments to landowners for practices that enhance climate mitigation and forest resilience. Funding can be used to establish new cost share programs or augment existing ones. Practices might include forest thinning, prescribed burning, and pest and disease management, aimed at improving forest health and resilience to climate impacts.
- Eligible applicants for the Landowner Payment Programs include state forestry agencies or their equivalents, nonprofit organizations. Eligible Lands must be owned by an eligible recipient of practice payments, be rural, and have existing tree cover or is suitable for tree growth
- Eligible applicants for the Landowner Cost Share Payment Programs include the state forestry agency or its equivalent, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher learning, and units of local government. Eligible lands include on-industrial private forest land, forest land owned by a unit of local government, forest land held in trust for Native Hawaiians by the debt of Hawaiian Homelands and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and must be rural, have existing tree cover or is suitable for growing trees, and be owned by an eligible recipient of cost share payments.
