The U.S. Forest Service is making $150 million from the Inflation Reduction Act available to help invest in underserved and small-acreage forest landowners.
Many private-sector markets are creating incentives to keep forests healthy through reforestation and forest management, but include high-acreage requirements and high start-up costs that exclude small-acreage forest landowners.
According to the USDA, underserved and small-acreage landowners would not have the resources for proper forest management and long-term health without new investments. The lack of proper management can affect the health of forests and make them more susceptible to pests, disease, catastrophic wildfires, loss of wildlife habitat, and reduced water quality for downstream users.
“Healthy, resilient forests store carbon, provide critical habitat for wildlife, and grow forest resources that are the lifeblood of communities across the country,” said Tom Vilsack, United States Secretary of Agriculture. “So much of our nation’s forest land is privately owned, and, thanks to historic resources made possible by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, these private landowners will have an opportunity to be part of the solution to the climate crisis, no matter their background and no matter their means.”
Forest landowners that are eligible for funding include Tribal governments and organizations, states, local governments, public and private non-profits and for-profit entities.
