These funds will be used to create a new territorial government-run initiative that will issue cost share payments to landowners to help increase the implementation of recommended management practices…

The Executive Office of the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Department of Agriculture, received a $3.0 million Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service under the Inflation Reduction Act Landscape Scale Restoration program (CFDA 10.731) awarded on June 16, 2025. The award funds the establishment of a territorial government-run initiative that will provide cost-share payments to non-industrial forest landowners participating in the U.S. Virgin Islands Forest Stewardship Program to facilitate implementation of recommended forest management practices.

This initiative aligns with the Inflation Reduction Act program's core objective of advancing climate mitigation and forest resilience on private forest lands. Through the cost-share payment mechanism, the awardee will enable eligible landowners to adopt management practices that support climate-smart forestry and sustainable land stewardship in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The project is scheduled for completion by December 31, 2029, providing a four-year implementation period to build capacity and increase participation among the territory's private forest landowners in evidence-based forest management.

These funds will be used to create a new territorial government-run initiative that will issue cost share payments to landowners to help increase the implementation of recommended management practices for the non-industrial forest landowners participating in the US virgin islands forest stewardship program.