Wood Utilization Assistance
USDA Forest Service grants support projects expanding wood energy/product markets to improve forest health, reduce management costs, and boost community economies.
This grant is no longer accepting proposals
Forest Service has archived this opportunity.
Funder: Forest Service - https://www.fs.usda.gov
Due Dates: August 30, 2024 (Temporary Bridge Funding Opportunity) | December 27, 2024 (Temporary Bridge Funding Opportunity) | Rolling (Other proposals)
Funding Amounts: Typical award size around $300,000; supports projects related to wood products and wood energy markets.
Summary: Grants support projects that expand wood energy and wood products markets to improve forest health, reduce forest management costs, and promote economic and environmental health of communities.
Key Information: Focus on later-stage commercial construction and wood energy projects; early phase development proposals are not competitive. Proposals from states without existing wood utilization or energy teams are prioritized.
Description
The USDA Forest Service Wood Utilization Assistance grants aim to substantially expand and accelerate wood energy and wood products markets across the United States. These grants support sustainable forest management by addressing the disposal of hazardous fuels and wood residues from National Forest System and other forest lands. The program aligns with federal legislation including the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, Rural Revitalization Technologies, and the Inflation Reduction Act.
The funding opportunity prioritizes projects that:
- Reduce hazardous fuels and improve forest health on National Forest System and other forestlands.
- Lower forest management costs on all land types.
- Promote economic and environmental health in communities.
Eligible projects include, but are not limited to:
- Completing engineering designs, cost analyses, and permitting in later stages of commercial wood construction and wood energy projects to secure financing. Early phase development projects are generally not competitive.
- Developing manufacturing capacity and infrastructure for wood products that support forest ecosystem restoration.
- Demonstrating quantifiable environmental and economic benefits of wood as a sustainable building material in commercial buildings, with projections for nationwide replication.
- Establishing statewide wood utilization and wood energy teams in states without existing or former teams.
- Developing clusters of wood energy projects in specific geographic areas or sectors such as prisons, hospitals, universities, or industrial sectors.
- Overcoming market barriers and stimulating expansion of wood energy in the commercial sector.
The program supports innovative wood products markets including mass timber, renewable wood energy, and technologies that aid hazardous fuel reduction and sustainable forest management.
