The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service has announced a new funding opportunity under the Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance Program, aimed at reducing wildfire risks, creating market opportunities, and supporting local jobs. The program will allocate $25 million to help local businesses and partners remove hazardous fuels from national forests and transport the material to facilities where it can be processed into wood products or services.

 
"The timber and wood products industries help support healthy and sustainable forests," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack explained. "This funding opportunity empowers local communities to create and support jobs while helping the USDA Forest Service implement sustainable forest management practices that reduce wildfire risk and support the Wildfire Crisis Strategy."
Hazardous fuels, typically woody materials with limited commercial value, can become useful products, but transportation costs often hinder their removal. Without this assistance, these materials are frequently burned in place, increasing the risk of insects, disease, and wildfires that threaten ecosystems, communities, and critical infrastructure.
This funding aims to support wood utilization facilities across the country. In 2023, similar grants helped remove nearly 59,000 tons of hazardous fuels from nine national forests, contributing to the production of various wood products.
Applications are due by September 5 and are open to for-profit entities, non-profit entities, US state governments, US local governments, tribal entities, and education institutions. For more information on the application process go to: https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/forest-management/products/hazardous-fuels-transport-assist-grants
https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/newsroom/releases/usda-forest-service-announces-25m-funding-opportunity-reduce