CAL FIRE NEWS RELEASE
CONTACT: John Ramaley
916-203-9755
John.ramaley@fire.ca.gov
RELEASE DATE: June 29, 2023
Up to $20 million available to support project acquisition and project development for working forest landscapes
Sacramento – The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is announcing up to $20 million in funding for Forest Legacy grants.
The purpose of the Forest Legacy Grants is to protect environmentally important forest land threatened with conversion to non-forest uses. Protection of California’s forests through these grants ensures they continue to provide such benefits as sustainable timber production, wildlife habitat, recreation opportunities, watershed protection and open space. Intact forests also contribute significantly to the storage and sequestration of carbon.
Under this competitive grant program, CAL FIRE purchases or accepts donations of conservation easements or fee title of productive forest lands to encourage their long-term conservation. The primary tool CAL FIRE uses to conserve forest lands in perpetuity is the permanent Working Forest Conservation Easement (WFCE).
This solicitation will be in two parts. The first part will be a pre-application period. Applicants will be required to fill out the pre-application document and email it with any other necessary documents, such as maps, to a specific email address. CAL FIRE will then rank and score the pre-applications. Successful pre-applicants will be asked to follow provided instructions to enter a full application into CAL FIRE’s online grant management system, eCivis.
The pre-application period will run from June 29, 2023, to July 16, 2023. Pre-applications will be scored, and applicants will be notified if they are invited for a full application by July 28, 2023. Full applications will be allowed to be submitted onto the online eCivis system by successful pre-applicants from July 28, 2023, to August 31, 2023. A workshop to present the eCivis online application program will be provided prior to opening the full application process. This includes a required field visit by CAL FIRE staff to the subject properties. Full applications will be scored, and applicants will be notified of their full application status by September 15, 2023.
For more information on Forest Legacy Grants, visit this page.
