US Forest Service to award $7 million in grant applications for projects that expand wood products and wood energy markets

OCTOBER 18, 2017 AT 11:00 AM EDT - The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is taking grant applications for projects that expand wood products and wood energy markets, especially in areas with high wildfire risk. Applications may be submitted through Jan. 22, 2018.

Grants provided through the agency’s Wood Innovations program not only help reduce hazardous fuels and improve forest health, but also create jobs to promote economic vitality in our communities.

In 2018, the program will invest up to $7 million in projects designed to have a long-term impact on lands managed by the agency and other forest lands by leveraging the market for low-value wood. Funding is available to support a diverse range of activities, from completing engineering designs, cost analyses, permitting, or other requirements for the final stages of commercial construction projects using wood as a primary building material as well as developing a cluster of wood energy projects in a specific geographic area. Funding may also support business planning and efforts to accelerate the manufacturing, market adoption, and demonstration of innovative wood products, such as cross-laminated timber.  

Since 2005, almost 280 grants have been awarded to small businesses, non-profits, institutions of higher education, tribes, states, and local governments to improve forest health while creating jobs, renewable energy and healthy communities. Since 2013, this funding has also helped establish 22 Statewide Wood Energy Teams and eight Statewide Wood Utilization Teams that collectively expand and support wood energy and wood products markets.

This week is National Forest Products Week (Oct. 15-21), when we celebrate the value of America’s forests and the products they provide while recommitting to sustainably manage these splendid natural resources to meet our nation’s needs now and in the future.

Today, Oct. 18, is National Bioenergy Day, a day to unite organizations across the country that support bioenergy to demonstrate the many benefits that bioenergy provides at the local level. A diversified wood products industry enhances resiliency of our ecosystems, sequesters carbon, and creates jobs in rural communities.

The deadline for submitting grant applications is Jan. 22, 2018. Information on how to apply is available on the Wood Innovations Grants website or the Wood Education and Resource Center website.

The mission of the U.S. Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains world-renowned forestry research and wildland fire management organizations. National forests and grasslands contribute more than $30 billion to the American economy annually and support nearly 360,000 jobs. These lands also provide 30 percent of the nation’s surface drinking water to cities and rural communities; approximately 60 million Americans rely on drinking water that originated from the National Forest System.