MILWAUKEE, Wisc. – The USDA Forest Service Eastern Region is accepting applications for the FY 2023 Landscape Scale Restoration (LSR) competitive grant program. LSR grants achieve the shared priority goals of the Forest Service, states, and sovereign Tribal nations to protect and restore forested landscapes across jurisdictional boundaries.
Across the United States, it is estimated that tens of millions of acres of forests and watersheds need restoration. At the same time, there is increasing demand for the resources and services that forested landscapes provide. These challenges call for improved collaboration and create an opportunity for the Forest Service to support partners performing priority work on non-federal forestlands.
LSR grants provide vital benefits to the American public. They reduce risk of catastrophic wildfires, improve water quality, restore wildlife habitat, and mitigate damaging insect and disease infestation. This grant program also provides an opportunity for the Forest Service to support projects that benefit underserved communities and the forests that they value. The Eastern Region has distributed nearly $28 million in funding for LSR projects since 2016.
Interested applicants should discuss project ideas with their state forestry agency and familiarize themselves with the relevant State Forest Action Plan(s). State forestry agencies, nonprofit organizations, universities, units of local government, and sovereign Tribal nations are eligible to submit applications. All applications require state forester sponsorship except those submitted by Tribes.
For federally recognized Tribes: Tribal trust land is now eligible for LSR projects. In addition, in FY 2023 there is a separate national LSR Request for Proposals specifically for federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native Corporations. While federally recognized Tribes may apply to the regional Request for Applications, we encourage them to apply to the national LSR Request for Proposals.
Visit the LSR website to learn more about the program and how to apply. The Forest Service Eastern Region will host a webinar on August 25 to go over the grant and application process. Applications must be submitted through grants.gov by November 10, 2022, with additional draft deadlines outlined on the LSR website.
The Forest Service Eastern Region State and Private Forestry program collaborates with states, other federal agencies, sovereign Tribal nations, landowners, and other partners to protect, conserve, and manage forests and community trees across the 20 Northeastern and Midwestern states and the District of Columbia through grants and technical assistance.