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DEC Announces $4.5 Million in New Grant Funding to
Establish Large Forests
Published: October 31, 2024
at 01:00 p.m.
By: Press Release
from NYS DEC
DEC Announces $4.5 Million in New Grant Funding to
Establish Large Forests
Program Made Possible by
USDA’s Partnership for Climate SMART Commodities Grant to New York State
Planting Projects Will Contribute to Governor’s ‘25 Million Trees by 2033’ Initiative and Climate
Act Scoping Plan Reforestation Goals
New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Interim Commissioner Sean
Mahar has announced $4.5 million is now available through the Establishing
Large Forests (ELF) Grant Program for private landowners to establish new
forests. ELF expands on New York State’s popular Regenerate NY Forestry Cost Share Grant Program and
is designed to support the creation of new forests crucial for mitigating
climate change, providing wildlife habitat, protecting air and water
quality, and supplying timber, an important renewable
resource.
“Growing New
York’s forests of the future is essential to boosting climate resilience
and this grant opportunity supports both Governor Hochul’s ‘25 Million Trees’ initiative and ongoing efforts to
reforest 1.7 million acres of land across the state,” said Interim
Commissioner Mahar. “Every new acre of forest land brings us closer to
the State’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, and private landowner
play a crucial role in these efforts. Thanks to this funding from USDA,
these ELF grants will incentivize forest growth on private lands and
maximize the benefits of forests including biodiversity, habitat, air and
water quality, and carbon storage, and I encourage all eligible landowners
to apply.
Under the new
grant opportunity, private landowners (or their representatives) with five
or more acres of unforested land in New York State may apply for a minimum
of $30,000 up to a maximum of $750,000 to reimburse costs for establishing
new forests. Eligible projects include but are not limited to preparing
sites and planting trees and associated forest vegetation, removing
competing or invasive vegetation interfering with seedling establishment
and growth, and protecting new plantings from deer browse
with fencing. Additional consideration will be given to applications
with projects that cover large areas.
Applicants must
work with a forester or a qualified natural resource professional to
develop their projects and must agree to maintain the new forest for at
least 15 years. ELF is managed by DEC’s Division of Lands and
Forests.
DEC will host a
webinar on Thursday, Nov. 14, from 9 - 11 a.m., to provide information and
answer questions about this new funding opportunity. Visit DEC’s website for more information. A recording of the
webinar will be posted on DEC’s website when available.
Applications will
be accepted until 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. Applications must
be submitted through the SFS Grants Management System (SFS). Those wishing
to apply need to establish an account in SFS. Once registered, search SFS
for “Establishing Large Forests” or “ELF.” For more details about the grant opportunity, including
application and scoring criteria, visit DEC’s website or
email largeforests@dec.ny.gov.
The U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s Partnership for Climate SMART Commodities
grant awarded $60 million to five partners in New York State. DEC received
$13 million for climate smart forestry practices
and ELF is the first offering from DEC under the grant. Other grant
partners include the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets,
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry,
Cornell University, and Syracuse University. A small portion of the
ELF grant is funded from Regenerate NY through the New York State
Environmental Protection Fund (EPF).In the 2024-25
State Budget, Governor Hochul maintained EPF funding at $400 million, the
highest level of funding in the program's history. The EPF provides funding
for critical environmental programs such as land acquisition, farmland
protection, invasive species prevention and eradication, enhanced
recreational access, water quality improvement, and an aggressive
environmental justice agenda.
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