Federal Grant Award Summary

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Region 8 (Southern Region), awarded the Arkansas Forestry Commission a $389,909 Project Grant on July 10, 2026, under the State & Private Forestry Cooperative Fire Assistance program (CFDA 10.698). The five-year award, with a completion date of July 9, 2031, funds the procurement of fire suppression equipment designed to enhance responder safety, operational effectiveness, and fireline coordination capabilities across Arkansas. The equipment acquisitions will support initial attack wildfire operations within designated state areas, mutual aid requests throughout Arkansas, and interstate assistance efforts.

The grant supports Arkansas's statewide wildfire suppression capacity by enabling the acquisition of modern firefighting equipment that strengthens both personnel protection and incident response coordination. As a primary recipient under the State & Private Forestry Cooperative Fire Assistance program, the Arkansas Forestry Commission—operating as the Arkansas Department of Agriculture Forestry Division—will deploy these resources to improve the state's wildfire management infrastructure and readiness for both routine incidents and large-scale suppression operations requiring interstate cooperation.