Texas A&M Forest Service Mitigation and Prevention Prescribed Fire Grant Programs
The Texas A&M Forest Service offers five grant opportunities for private landowners to help implement prescribed burning to reduce hazardous fuel loads and protect communities across the state. Prescribed fire is a land management tool used to reduce potential fuel for wildfires and help promote ecosystem restoration. For most of these prescribed fire grants, landowners will be reimbursed at a standard rate per acre burned and require the use of a certified and insured prescribed burn vendor.
State Fire Assistance for Mitigation – Plains Prescribed Fire Grant
State Fire Assistance for Mitigation (SFAM) – Plains Prescribed Fire Grant provides assistance to communities that have been or may be threatened by wildland fire by funding prescribed burning to reduce hazardous fuels in and around communities. Treatment areas will be located adjacent to priority communities in Texas that are at highest risk for loss during a Southern Plains Wildfire Outbreak event. The goal is to protect high-risk communities and aid in ecosystem restoration by utilizing prescribed fire to consume excess vegetation before it contributes to catastrophic wildfire. Priority will be given to treatment sites that provide protection to the highest risk communities, are actively involved in the Texas A&M Forest Service Texas Ranch Wildfire Program, located near homes (based on Texas Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal – TxWRAP), and contain ecosystems that will benefit from prescribed fire.
Priority will also be given to landowners that were approved in the previous year’s grant process but were unable to complete their burn project. No cost shares are involved with this grant program. Grant recipients will be reimbursed actual per acre costs associated with conducting the prescribed burn, not to exceed the maximum reimbursement rate of $30 per acre with a total limit of 500 acres per recipient. Applications must be submitted online. No faxes, mailed, hand delivered or e-mailed applications will be accepted.
To learn more about prescribed fire grant opportunities and to apply for a grant, visit https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/cppgrant/.
State Fire Assistance for Mitigation-Mechanical Fuel Reduction Grant
The goal of the State Fire Assistance for Mitigation (SFAM)-Mechanical Fuel Reduction grant is to protect high risk communities by reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire on private and public lands through the use of accepted mechanical fuel reduction practices. Projects will be located within 32 Central Texas counties identified as high priority.
Grant recipients will be reimbursed for the actual costs of the treatment, not to exceed $250 per acre for hand-cut fuel breaks, or $600 per acre for mulched fuel breaks. The total limit of reimbursement per grant recipient is $10,000. Work will be conducted by a private contractor of the landowner’s choosing or by the landowner and his/her employees. This grant is only for the reimbursement of costs to the landowner for creating a mechanical fuel break with a minimum width of 66 feet.
For more information contact Program Specialist, Jake Gosschalk (361-571-6923), or find your local Texas A&M Forest Service WUI Coordinator at: https://ticc.tamu.edu/Documents/Home/WUI_Map.pdf
The Community Protection Program Prescribed Fire Grant
The Community Protection Program (CPP) Prescribed Fire Grant provides assistance to reduce the hazard of high-risk fuels on private lands through the use of prescribed burning. The treatment area must be within 10 miles of a National Forest boundary. The grant’s goal is to protect high-risk communities and associated forest resources by reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire on private and public lands. Priority will be given to projects that meet both criteria.
No cost shares are involved with this grant program. Grant recipients will be reimbursed actual per acre costs associated with conducting the prescribed burn, not to exceed the maximum reimbursement rate of $30 per acre with a total limit of 800 acres per recipient.
To learn more about prescribed fire grant opportunities and to apply for a grant, visit https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/cppgrant/.
The State Fire Assistance for Mitigation – Central and East Texas Grant
The State Fire Assistance for Mitigation (SFAM) – Central and East Texas grant provides assistance to communities that have been or may be threatened by wildfire by funding prescribed burning to reduce hazardous fuels in and around communities. Treatment areas will be private property in the 43 counties in Central and East Texas that have a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) within the county. The goal is to protect high-risk communities and aid in ecosystem restoration by utilizing prescribed fire to consume excess vegetation before it contributes to catastrophic wildfire. Priority will be given to treatment sites that are within a CWPP, located near a Firewise USA® community, located near homes (based on Texas Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal – TxWRAP) and contain ecosystems that will benefit from prescribed fire. The program was previously known as the National Fire Plan Prescribed Fire Grant.
No cost shares are involved with this grant program. Grant recipients will be reimbursed actual per acre costs associated with conducting the prescribed burn, not to exceed the maximum reimbursement rate of $30 per acre with a total limit of 500 acres per recipient.
To learn more about prescribed fire grant opportunities and to apply for a grant, visit https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/cppgrant/.
Neches River and Cypress Basin Watershed Restoration Program – Prescribed Fire Grant
The Neches River and Cypress Basin Watershed Restoration Program – Prescribed Fire Grant provides assistance to landowners in utilizing prescribed fire for ecological improvement to the Neches River and Cypress Basin watersheds. This Program will benefit the public and natural resources through improvement of water quality and quantity, control of invasive species and enhancement of wildlife habitat. Treatment areas will be private property in the Neches River and Cypress Basin Watersheds. Priority will be given to prescribed burn treatments that promote native ecosystem restoration, are in priority watershed protection zones, and near public land.
Grant recipients will be reimbursed actual per acre costs associated with conducting the prescribed burn, not to exceed the maximum reimbursement rate of $22.50 per acre with a total limit of 800 acres per recipient.
To learn more about prescribed fire grant opportunities and to apply for a grant, visit https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/cppgrant/.
Texas Longleaf Conservation Assistance Program
The Texas Longleaf Conservation Assistance Program provides eligible landowners with financial and technical assistance for establishing, enhancing and managing longleaf pine. Landowners with property within ten East Texas counties, which include Angelina, Hardin, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, San Augustine, Sabine, San Jacinto, Trinity and Tyler are eligible to apply. Approved participants may receive up to 50% payment, not to exceed a standard cap rate, for implementing approved conservation practices. Approved conservation practices include prescribed burning, reforestation, site preparation and forest stand improvement.
Funding for this program is provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and are administered through the Texas Longleaf Pine Implementation Team and Texas A&M Forest Service.
Visit http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/longleaf/ to find out more information on the Texas Longleaf Conservation Assistance Program.
To learn more about prescribed fire grant opportunities and to apply for a grant, visit https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/cppgrant/.