This award supports land management activities on state and private lands to implement state forest action plan priorities

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Region 9 (Eastern Region) awarded $288,504 to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) on September 3, 2025, under the Cooperative Forestry Assistance program (CFDA 10.664). This project grant supports land management activities on state and private forest lands through September 30, 2029, to implement Rhode Island's State Forest Action Plan priorities. The award funds hazardous fuels reduction treatments, development of multi-resource forest management plans, mitigation of invasive species, insect infestation and disease management, and other active forest management activities across the 120,000 acres of private forest land managed by Rhode Island's 4,700 private forest landowners.

RIDEM is implementing these forest health initiatives with support from the Rhode Island Natural History Survey (RINHS), a key sub-grantee providing technical expertise through a Forest Health Technician contractor position. A February 6, 2026 amendment to the sub-grant agreement extended the RINHS contract through December 31, 2027, and increased funding by $92,752 to address invasive species response efforts, including enhanced monitoring and biological control releases for hemlock woolly adelgid, response to southern pine beetle occurrences, and management of winter moth population increases. These coordinated efforts directly support the health, productivity, and resilience of Rhode Island's forests and working forest economies.

This plan guides the work of forestry professionals and directly supports the health, productivity, and resilience of america s forests and trees. Through these efforts the state supports the 4,700 private forest landowners who own 120,000 acres in rhode island. These funds will be used to treat acres for hazardous fuels reduction, develop multi-resource forest management plans, mitigate invasive species, insect infestation and disease, and other active forest management activities that support working forests.