These funds will be used to build and maintain capacity around forest health and invasive species (insect, disease, and invasive plants in forested areas) at the virginia department of forestry

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, through its Forest Health Protection program (CFDA 10.680), awarded $170,000 to the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDoF) on September 16, 2025, with a completion date of September 15, 2030. This Project Grant supports VDoF's capacity building efforts to address forest health threats, including damaging insects, forest diseases, and invasive plant species in Virginia's forested areas. The funds enable VDoF to strengthen its technical capabilities, monitoring infrastructure, and operational capacity to detect, manage, and suppress these forest health threats on non-federal lands across the state.

The Forest Health Protection program authorizes funding for state forestry agencies to protect and manage forest resources through active management, rapid-response suppression of invasive species, regional ecosystem monitoring, and workforce development. VDoF's five-year award reflects the program's emphasis on state-level capacity building to address emerging and established forest health challenges, aligning with the Department of Agriculture Forest Service's national and regional forest health priorities for the Southern Region (Region 8).