The cross boundary wildfire hazard mitigation on non-federal lands program funds hazardous fuel reduction and mitigation activities close to national forest lands to reduce the undesired effects of…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Region awarded $430,000 to the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (FDACS) on August 7, 2025, under the State & Private Forestry Hazardous Fuel Reduction Program (CFDA 10.697). This Project Grant, with completion targeted by August 6, 2030, funds hazardous fuel reduction and mitigation activities on non-federal lands in Florida adjacent to National Forest System lands. The award supports cross-boundary wildfire hazard mitigation through activities such as mechanical thinning, prescribed burning, mastication, hand treatments, and vegetation management designed to reduce the volume of hazardous fuels in forests, woodlands, shrublands, and grasslands while restoring fire-adapted landscapes.

FDACS will implement these fuel reduction projects to complement federal land management activities and strengthen community resilience against catastrophic wildfire threats. The program contemplates that eligible work activities, while approved for a five-year period, may be completed within one to three years where feasible. As Florida's chief agricultural agency with extensive experience in natural resource management and federal partnership, FDACS will deliver landscape-scale fuel reduction treatments to reduce the undesired effects of large, destructive wildfires and protect adjacent federal resources.

The cross boundary wildfire hazard mitigation on non-federal lands program funds hazardous fuel reduction and mitigation activities close to national forest lands to reduce the undesired effects of large, destructive wildfires by reducing the volume of hazardous fuels on forests, woodlands, shrublands, and grasslands.