The cross boundary wildfire hazard mitigation program helps reduce plants and brush that can fuel wildfires near national forests

The Department of Agriculture Forest Service R8-Southern Region awarded $190,000 to the South Carolina Forestry Commission on August 12, 2026, under the State & Private Forestry Hazardous Fuel Reduction Program (CFDA 10.697).

The grant funds hazardous fuel reduction projects incorporating thinning, mechanical treatments, strategic fuel breaks, and prescribed fire on non-federal land in South Carolina. The South Carolina Forestry Commission will work with nearby landowners to identify and remove fire hazards near National Forests, prioritizing wildland-urban interface areas that pose the highest risk to communities and areas identified in the State Forest Action Plan and shared stewardship priorities. Work is performed in South Carolina with a period of performance through August 11, 2031.

The state forestry agency will work with nearby landowners to find and remove these fire hazards. This grant supports hazardous fuel reduction projects that incorporate treatments (thinning, mechanical treatments, strategic fuel breaks, and prescribed fire) in landscapes across ownership boundaries on non-federal land. Priority is given to wildland urban interface areas that pose the highest risk to communities and any priority areas identified in applicable state-wide forest resource assessments (state forest action plan), shared stewardship priorities, or strategies as mutually agreed to by the state forester and the regional forester.