These funds will be used to increase active forest management for healthy and productive forests and to reduce wildfire risk across illinois and will contribute to shared stewardship through support…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service R9-Eastern Region awarded the Illinois Department of Natural Resources $5,197,182 under the Cooperative Forestry Assistance program (CFDA 10.664) on August 18, 2026, to increase active forest management for healthy and productive forests and reduce wildfire risk across Illinois.

The award funds reforestation and nursery genetics resources, technical assistance to support forest health management activities on non-federal lands, and forest health training sessions. The recipient will hire a program coordinator, provide community forestry grants and educational events, conduct oak ecosystem recovery workshops and meetings, support maintaining resilient landscapes, create fire-adapted communities, deliver wildfire education programs, implement hazardous fire reduction mitigation projects and prescribed burns, and support the organization and training of rural community fire departments in rural fire suppression and prevention.

Performance extends across Illinois from August 18, 2026, through June 30, 2031. The assistance type is a Project Grant.

These funds will be used to increase active forest management for healthy and productive forests and to reduce wildfire risk across illinois and will contribute to shared stewardship through support reforestation and nursery genetics resources, provide technical assistance, hire a program coordinator, provide community forestry grants, community forestry educational events, OAK ecosystem recovery related workshops/meetings, support forest health management activities on non-federal lands technical assistance and forest health training sessions, support maintaining resilient landscapes, creating fire adapted communities response to wildfires education programs hazardous fire reduction mitigation projects implement prescribed burns and hire a new program coordinator, and support the organization and training of rural community fire departments in the suppression and prevention of rural fires.