U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced the USDA's Forest Service is accepting applications for the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program, according to a USDA news release. The program is designed to assist at-risk communities including Tribal communities, nonprofit organizations, state forestry agencies and Alaska Native Corporations with planning for and mitigating wildfire risks.
“We are proud to be partnering with Tribes, local communities and a wide range of partners in working toward our mutually shared goals of addressing the wildfire crisis, mitigating climate change and safeguarding the communities we serve,” Vilsack said in the July 31 release. “President Biden’s Investing in America agenda continues to provide the tools and resources that people need to reduce both the financial and emotional burden of living with wildfire.”
The program, funded by President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will provide grants of up to $250,000 for community wildfire protection plans and up to $10 million for associated wildfire resilience projects, with a total available funding of up to $250 million, the release said. The announcement was made in Portland, Ore., as part of the Biden-Harris administration's Investing in America agenda to address the wildfire crisis, support climate resilience and invest in rural communities.
The individual grants will fund up to $250,000 for community wildfire protection plans and up to $10 million for associated wildfire resilience projects. Randy Moore, Forest Service chief, emphasized the importance of coordinated efforts to increase effective wildfire risk reduction in vulnerable areas. The program prioritizes communities with high wildfire hazard potential, low-income communities and those impacted by severe disasters.
Further, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also provides an $8.25 billion investment for wildfire management, focusing on reducing wildfire risks, detecting wildfires, implementing firefighter workforce reforms and increasing pay for federal wildland firefighters, according to the release.
Additional information and applications can be found on the Community Wildfire Defense Grants webpage.
