Award for forest management assistance to landowners, managing state trust lands, and supplying wildfire and forest health protection services

The Council of Western State Foresters received a $500,000 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service under the Inflation Reduction Act Landscape Scale Restoration program (CFDA 10.731), effective June 27, 2025 through June 5, 2030. This award supports forest management assistance to private forest landowners, state trust lands managers, and entities delivering wildfire and forest health protection services across the United States. The funding enables the organization to provide technical guidance, cost-share assistance, and capacity-building support to advance climate-smart forestry practices and support participation in emerging environmental markets such as carbon offset and ecosystem services programs.

As a membership-based organization serving state forestry agencies, the Council of Western State Foresters will deliver services aligned with the program's objectives to strengthen forest resilience and climate mitigation. The five-year award period supports activities including hazardous fuels reduction strategy development, forest health protection initiatives, community wildfire protection planning, and technical assistance coordination—particularly targeting underserved and historically marginalized landowner populations in advancing climate-resilient forest management practices.