Grants available for wildfire risk reduction, landscape restoration

Three grant opportunities to assist landowners in reducing fire risk and restoring landscapes are now open and accepting applications, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources announced Tuesday.

All three programs are funded by the U.S. Forest Service and include:

Landscape Scale Restoration Grants

These grants address priority landscapes and/or issues identified in the Hawai‘i Forest Action Plan and encourage collaborative, science-based restoration projects. A project proposal must be designed to achieve one or more of the following objectives:

● Reduce the risk of uncharacteristic wildfires.

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

● Maintain or improve water quality and watershed functions.

● Mitigate invasive species, insect infestation and disease.

● Improve important forest ecosystems.

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

Ineligible activities include but are not limited to: purchasing land, purchasing technical equipment greater than $5,000 without prior approval by the U.S. Forest Service, work on federal land, construction (such as new buildings or roads) and research-related activities.

Submittals will be accepted until 12 p.m. Oct. 16. Applications should be emailed to Tanya Rubenstein, DLNR cooperative resource management forester, at tanya.rubenstein@hawaii.gov using the subject header “LSR Request for Interest.”

For more information, visit hands.ehawaii.gov/hands/opportunities/opportunity-details/ 23260.

Community Wildfire Defense Grants

This program offers funding to assist communities to prevent, plan for and mitigate wildfire risks. Grants prioritize communities that are in areas identified as having high or very high wildfire hazard potential, are low income and/or have been impacted by a severe disaster. The program is anchored in three goals:

● Restore and maintain landscapes.

● Create fire-adapted communities.

● Improve wildfire response.

Submittals will be accepted until 12 p.m. Oct. 21. Applicants can contact Michael Walker, DLNR state fire protection forester, at michael.j.walker@hawaii.gov for more information.

Details are available at hands.ehawaii.gov/hands/opportunities/opportunity-details/ 23290.

Wildland-Urban Interface Grants

This program provides funds to mitigate risk from wildland fire within the wildland-urban interface. Grants are awarded annually through a competitive process with emphasis on:

● Hazard fuel reduction in the wildland-urban interface.

● Information and education.

● Assessment and planning.

● Monitoring through community and landowner action.

Projects that do not qualify include suppression capacity building, such as the purchase of fire department equipment. Applications must describe how the project connects with the goals of the Hawai‘i Forest Action Plan, available at dlnr.hawaii.gov/forestry/info/fap/ and an existing Community Wildfire Protection Plan, available at dlnr.hawaii.gov/forest ry/fire/community-risk-reduction/communi ty-wildfire-protection-plans/.

Submittals will be accepted until 12 p.m. Jan. 5. Applications should be emailed to Walker at michael.j.walker@hawaii.gov using the subject header “WUI Request for Interest.”

For more information, visit hands.ehawaii. gov/hands/opportunities/opportunity-details/ 23260.