PORTLAND, Ore., July 31, 2023 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is again accepting applications for the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program. Now in its second year, this competitive program funded by President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is designed to assist at-risk communities, including Tribal communities, non-profit organizations, state forestry agencies and Alaska Native Corporations with planning for and mitigating wildfire risks. Applications will be accepted for 90 days.
The announcement comes after $197 million was awarded to 99 project proposals across 22 states and seven Tribes during the first year of funding. The projects directly support the Forest Service’s 10-year strategy to treat up to 20 million acres of national forests and grasslands and 30 million acres of other federal, state, Tribal and private lands to reduce wildfire risk to communities, infrastructure and natural resources.
