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.
Due Dates
- Temporary Bridge Funding Opportunity rolling application due dates:
- April 27, 2024
- August 30, 2024
- December 27, 2024
Funding decisions for these are made within 30 days of due dates.
- Other proposals may be accepted on a rolling basis; check with program contacts for current deadlines.
Funding Amount
- Typical grant awards are approximately $300,000.
- Funding supports a range of project types including commercial construction, wood energy development, manufacturing capacity expansion, and establishment of utilization teams.
Eligibility
- Proposals from states without existing or former statewide wood utilization or wood energy teams are prioritized.
- Projects must focus on later-stage development; early phase project proposals are unlikely to be competitive.
- Applicants should demonstrate how projects support forest health, reduce hazardous fuels, and promote economic and environmental benefits.
- Eligible applicants include entities involved in wood product manufacturing, forest management, community energy projects, and related sectors.
Application Process
- Applicants must follow instructions and use the official application form (FS-1500-050).
- Detailed instructions and application forms are available on the USDA Forest Service Wood Innovations webpage.
- A pre-recorded webcast explaining the application process is available at:
https://usda-fs.wistia.com/medias/teyfi90zhw
- For the Temporary Bridge Funding Opportunity, contact Jeff High at jeffrey.c.high@usda.gov.
- For other Wood Innovations programs, contact regional coordinators or program leads such as Collin Buntrock (collin.buntrock@usda.gov), Sabina Dhungana (sabina.dhungana@usda.gov), or Adam Smith (adam.smith5@usda.gov).
Additional Information
- The program supports sustainable forest management by creating markets for wood products and renewable wood energy.
- Wood energy includes solid wood chips and pellets for heat and power, as well as liquid biofuels and biochemicals.
- The program has supported over 2,300 buildings using mass timber and trained nearly 289,000 professionals in wood structural design.
- Success stories and project reports are available showcasing impacts on forest health, community economies, and climate resilience.
- The program also includes Community Wood Grant and Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance (WPIA) grants, which focus on community energy systems and wood-processing facilities near federal or Indian lands.
External Links
Contact Information
This grant opportunity is ideal for researchers and organizations involved in wood product innovation, forest ecosystem restoration, renewable energy development from wood residues, and community economic development linked to sustainable forest management.