This award will facilitate active forest management with an all-lands strategy in high wildfire risk landscapes; promote local and regional level partnerships and community engagement through wildland…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service awarded The Nature Conservancy a $3.327 million Cooperative Agreement under the State & Private Forestry Cooperative Fire Assistance program (CFDA 10.698) on September 15, 2025, with completion targeted for June 30, 2029. This award facilitates active forest management and community fire resilience in high wildfire risk landscapes through an all-lands strategy. The primary deliverables include development and implementation of community wildfire protection and spatial fire planning initiatives, prescribed fire projects to advance fire-adapted communities, wildland fire workforce training and practitioner exchanges, community engagement programs, and tribal engagement to revitalize traditional fire culture practices in high-risk ecosystems.

The Nature Conservancy is executing this cooperative agreement in partnership with The Watershed Research And Training Center, which received a sub-award on February 6, 2026, to support the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network. Together, these organizations deliver experiential training, local leader development, and comprehensive community participation programs focused on fire-adapted ecosystem restoration. The partnership emphasizes building regional and local-level collaborations while prioritizing landscape restoration efforts where robust wildland fire management is critical to local safety, economic stability, and public health.

This award will facilitate active forest management with an all-lands strategy in high wildfire risk landscapes; promote local and regional level partnerships and community engagement through wildland fire workforce and local leader development, experiential training, practitioner exchanges, and tribal engagement; initiate community wildfire protection, spatial fire planning and prescribed fire projects to promote fire adapted communities with safety and resiliency focus; and foster relationships with native americans to revitalizing traditional fire culture and promote widespread community and partner participation in fire adapted ecosystem restoration, prioritized in high wildfire risk landscapes where robust wildland fire management is paramount to local safety, economy, and health.