fy2021-lsr-project_narrative_form-20200622.pdf

USDA Forest Service Eastern Region State and Private Forestry Fiscal Year 2021 Landscape Scale Restoration

Competitive Process Request for Applications Project Narrative Form

Project Title: Provide a uniquely descriptive title for this project. Use this full title consistently on all submission communications and documents, including letters of support.

Project Applicant: Enter the name of organization applying for Federal funding.

Program Contact: Name and contact information for lead project contact, i.e., lead program person for implementing the project if funded.

Name:

Email:

Phone:

Brief Project Overview: 5 lines of text or up to 540 characters and spaces with no carriage returns. Provide a brief overview or purpose statement for the project.

Is this a multistate project (sponsored by more than one State)? Yes No

If multistate, please select one:

All Federal funds will go directly to the lead State or organization (applicant listed above). The lead State may pass funds to other States or third-party partners to implement components of the project. This is preferred.

Federal funds will go directly to multiple States and/or partners, as indicated in the Budget Spreadsheet and outlined in the Project Description.

Is this a cross-regional project? (i.e., includes sponsors from Northeast-Midwest State Foresters Alliance States and from Western/Southern State(s)). Yes No

Project Description This field accommodates 46 full lines of text or up to 5,000 characters and spaces with no carriage returns.

Provide a comprehensive but succinct overview of the proposed project that includes basic details of who is doing what, where, and why (in context of need documented elsewhere). Clearly articulate the methods employed, timelines, and resources needed. Address the project’s suitability as the most appropriate scale of response (local, statewide, multistate, or national) to the issue addressed. Projects should effectively address the purpose statement: “To encourage collaborative, science-based restoration of priority forest landscapes.”

Priority Issues and/or Landscapes in the State Forest Action Plan (25 Points) This field accommodates nearly 45 full lines of text or up to 5,000 characters and spaces with no carriage returns.

Projects will be based on an analysis within the State or region that identifies the issue or landscape being addressed as a priority in the State Forest Action Plan(s) or equivalent restoration strategy. Considering that State Forest Action Plans are being revised in 2020 (for all States except Vermont, which completed a full revision in 2017), either the last final plan or the new plan (e.g., in final draft form) can be referenced. Applicants should check with the State Forester to verify which plan to use. Note which State Forest Action Plan is being referenced.

• Demonstrate focus on a significant issue and/or priority landscape in the respective State Forest Action Plan(s).

• Describe how the project will bring a State or region to a desired future condition, goal, or strategy as articulated in the respective State Forest Action Plan(s).

LSR Objectives the Project Addresses (select one or more):

Projects shall prioritize funding and other resources toward one or more of the national LSR objectives below. This is for reference and clarity and not for scoring purposes, e.g., strong projects that address one objective can score just as well as projects that address multiple objectives.

Reduce the risk of uncharacteristic wildfires.

Improve fish and wildlife habitats, including for threatened and endangered species.

Maintain or improve water quality and watershed function.

Mitigate invasive species, insect infestation, and disease.

Improve important forest ecosystems.

Measure ecological and economic benefits including air quality and soil quality and productivity.

Measurable Outcomes (35 Points) List specific measurable results that show how the Federal investment will lead to outcomes on the landscape, e.g., acres treated for insects or invasive plants, number of trees planted to enhance water quality, acres of seedlings planted or forest treated to improve wildlife habitat, and acres treated to reduce hazardous fuels.

The measures/metrics should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely.

In the narrative section on the next page, describe less quantifiable return on investments.

Measure Output Unit

Measurable Outcomes Narrative This field accommodates nearly 45 full lines of text or up to 5,000 characters and spaces with no carriage returns.

Describe how reaching the goals and achievements of the project will influence positive change. To complement the table above, also describe less quantifiable return on investments. Reviewers will assess if outcomes are commensurate with the budget.

Collaboration and Integrated Delivery (20 Points) This field accommodates 27 full lines of text or up to 3,000 characters and spaces with no carriage returns.

• Identify partners that have demonstrated a commitment and add value towards planning and carrying out the project, and describe what these partners contribute.

• Seek to improve the delivery of public benefits from forest management by coordinating with complementary State and Federal programs and partnership efforts when possible (e.g., Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, landscape areas designated for insect and disease treatments, Good Neighbor Authority, stewardship contracting projects, Natural Resources Conservation Service programs, Shared Stewardship agreements, and appropriate state-level programs).

• Describe cross-boundary goals, which can include a combination of Tribal, State, local government, and private land ownerships (e.g., multiple private landowners, private and State landowners, State and Federal landowners, State and local government, State and Tribal landowners, etc.).

• Demonstrate residual positive benefits, as a result of collaboration, related to capacity, skills, knowledge, infrastructure, or a replicable approach, among others.

Collaboration may be qualitative in nature, and the contribution of the partners may be more important than the number of partners involved.

Leverage (10 Points) This field accommodates 15 full lines of text or up to 1,625 characters and spaces with no carriage returns.

Projects should maximize S&PF funding by using it to leverage contributions from both Federal and non-Federal entities.

Project applications need to clearly identify the LSR Competitive Allocation funds requested and the associated non- Federal contributions in the SF-424A and in the Budget Spreadsheet. Provide details about leveraged contributions, including match from partners and additional non-match leveraged contributions. Note: Collaboration with a for-profit Conservation Finance partner can be a powerful leverage multiplier, but this requires careful budget segregation to ensure Federal grants are not earning income.

Knowledge and Technical Transfer (10 Points) This field accommodates 15 full lines of text or up to 1,625 characters and spaces with no carriage returns.

Technical transfer is defined as the sharing of knowledge, tools, and innovations for practical application. As specifically as possible, describe how others will learn from the work done on this project. Describe the project’s potential to inform practitioners and enhance the effectiveness of similar initiatives. Knowledge and technical transfer need not necessarily be between States, but should aim to share innovation across the landscapes of importance wherever it can be utilized.

Projects should include a component of outreach, training, lessons learned, or related opportunities so that carrying out the project results in skills and capability that extend beyond the life of the project itself.