Watershed protecting regenerative appalachian agroforestry

This Cooperative Agreement award of $2,000,000.00, provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service under the Inflation Reduction Act Landscape Scale Restoration program (CFDA 10.731), supports the Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network, Inc. (operating as the Kentucky Environmental Foundation) in delivering products and services focused on climate mitigation, forest resilience, and community engagement in the Appalachian region.

The 5-year project aims to provide technical assistance, education, and cost-sharing to underserved non-industrial private forest landowners to help them participate in emerging environmental markets, such as carbon offset and ecosystem services programs. Key activities include increasing climate change adaptation, supporting forest health, and facilitating access to private environmental markets for historically marginalized landowners through outreach, training, and financial support. The award also supports stakeholder engagement and water quality research initiatives in partnership with academic institutions.