This consolidated payment grant will be used to increase active management for healthy and productive forests and reduce wildfire risk

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Region 9 - Eastern Region, awarded $1,752,930 to the Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation Vermont on August 15, 2025, under the Cooperative Forestry Assistance program (CFDA 10.664). This Project Grant, which extends through September 30, 2029, provides consolidated payments to support four primary forestry and fire capacity initiatives: the Forest Stewardship Program, which offers technical and educational assistance to private forest landowners for sustainable forest management; the Urban and Community Forestry Program, which delivers financial and technical support for community tree planting, protection, and maintenance activities; the State Fire Capacity Program, which addresses firefighter preparedness, training, hazardous fuels reduction, and wildfire suppression and prevention capabilities on non-federal lands; and the Volunteer Fire Capacity Program, which provides financial and technical assistance to organize, equip, and train small volunteer fire departments in rural communities with populations under 10,000.

These consolidated funding components are designed to increase active forest management, reduce wildfire risk, and strengthen rural community resilience across Vermont's non-federal forest lands and rural communities. The grant supports both on-the-ground implementation activities and capacity-building efforts to advance forest health, community preparedness, and landscape-scale forest stewardship aligned with the state's forest action plan priorities.

Consolidated payments grant consists of annually appropriated, base funds to the state forestry agency for programs including the forest stewardship program, urban and community forestry program, state fire capacity program, and volunteer fire capacity program. The forest stewardship program provides funding for assisting, educating, and inspiring forest landowners to actively manage their forests and related resources sustainably. The urban and community forestry program provides financial, technical, educational and related assistance for communities to plan urban forestry programs and to plant, protect, maintain, and utilize wood from community trees and forests. The state fire capacity program addresses critical state affiliated preparedness needs, community mitigation, and hazardous fuels. Critical preparedness needs include firefighter safety, fire planning, firefighter training, increased and enhanced initial attack capability, and mobilization capacity and readiness for the efficient suppression and prevention of wildfires on non-federal forest lands and other non-federal lands. The volunteer fire capacity program funding provides financial, technical, and other assistance through state forestry agencies to organize, equip, and train small, local volunteer fire departments in rural communities with populations under 10,000 to prevent and suppress rural fires.