This project will support the community wildfire defense grant program in michigan

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was awarded $444,445 on September 11, 2025, through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Community Wildfire Defense Grants program (CFDA 10.720). This Project Grant funds the expansion of Michigan's Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program through September 30, 2029, by adding one full-time staff position to complement existing personnel. The new position will enable the DNR to maintain dedicated regional representation in both the Upper Peninsula and Lower Peninsula, addressing the previous resource constraint of a single statewide staff member.

The funded staffing will directly support community wildfire mitigation efforts across Michigan by promoting grant opportunities to local governments and communities, providing technical assistance with local wildfire planning and mitigation initiatives, and serving as subject matter experts in the development and implementation of Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) and fuel reduction work at the local level. The staff will work collaboratively with municipalities and county agencies to build local capacity for wildfire preparedness and risk reduction on non-federal lands throughout the state.

An additional staff member will be hired to the existing filled position, who is currently covering the entire state, to enable the department to have one staff member in each the upper peninsula and lower peninsula. They would help promote opportunities by working with communities and local governmental agencies around the state to encourage and educate them on what they can apply for, help with their local planning development or mitigation efforts to reduce or prepare for wildfire in their communities. In addition, this grant would also support current staff to participate in the planning, development and mitigation work for community wildfire protection plans and fuel work at the local levels as subject matter experts.