Project Grant 26DG11010013030

The Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northern Region awarded $9,068,896 to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation on August 24, 2026, under the Cooperative Forestry Assistance program (CFDA 10.664) to support forest management, wildfire mitigation, and conservation activities in Montana through July 31, 2031.

The award funds financial, technical, and related assistance to rural volunteer fire departments for preparedness and mobilization activities, including training and equipping response capacity for wildfire prevention, control, and suppression on rural lands and in rural communities. The funding also supports the State Fire Capacity Program to enhance firefighting capacity, increase effective wildfire response, and expand outreach and education to homeowners and communities concerning wildfire prevention. Montana's 2020 Forest Action Plan identified 507,611 priority acres in the wildland-urban interface requiring immediate treatment to reduce wildfire risk.

Additional activities include the Forest Stewardship Program, which educates and assists private forest landowners in forest resource management and multi-resource stewardship, with support for stewardship plan monitoring and sampling methods. The Forest Health Management Program assists non-federal landowners and resource managers in preventing, identifying, and managing forest insects and diseases. The Conservation Education Program provides technical training and experiences to increase professionalism among employees, volunteers, and partners in delivering quality educational services. The Urban and Community Forestry Program serves as Montana's primary source of technical, financial, and educational assistance for community forestry.

Performance occurs in Montana.