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Forest Stewardship
long-term
stewardship
of private forest
landscapes.
What is the Forest Stewardship Program?
The Forest Stewardship Program (FSP) provides support to State forestry agencies to assist sustainable, private forest land management through forest management planning, technical assistance, tree improvement, seedling production, tree planting, timber stand improvement projects, and conservation education. Grants are normally awarded to State Foresters or to partners on a State’s behalf.
Our Work
In Hawaiʻi, the FSP is advised by an active Forest Stewardship Advisory Committee. The state Forest Stewardship program provides state cost-share funds for landowner implementation of individual Forest Stewardship plans for restoration or active management of lands such as these. Forest Stewardship program authorities for forest management on state lands have been the basis of several competitive “Redesign” and “Landscape Scale Restoration” grants to Hawaiʻi for watershed management, forest health, and native species restoration.
The United States-affiliated territories, commonwealths, and Freely Associated States also receive Forest Stewardship grants to support management planning and technical assistance to private landowners, typically delivered through extension programs and the provision of tree seedlings and other supplies for forest and agroforest management. As in Hawaiʻi, program authorities for forest management on territorial and commonwealth lands are important, and “Redesign” grants have supported projects addressing climate change in Yap, conservation of rare tree species in Guam, and other projects.
In California, the FSP works directly with CAL FIRE and other partners to support forest stewardship management planning, technical assistance, and conservation education. These efforts are coordinated in part with The California Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committee.
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Disaster Recovery
In September 2021 Congress passed Public Law 117-43, Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act. This Act included supplemental disaster funding for California facilitating support for partner led recovery efforts for 2019-2022 disasters across the state.
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Hawaiʻi
The relatively new USFS emphasis on multi-landowner landscape-scale Forest Stewardship plans is a good fit with Hawaii's Watershed Partnerships, the first of which were established in the early 1990s.
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Pacific Islands
The United States Affiliated Pacific Islands receive Forest Stewardship grants to support management planning and technical assistance to private landowners.
Partners
The Forest Service partners with the State forestry agencies, tribal governments, and non-profit organizations to successfully implement this program.
Resources
To keep you in the know, here are some resources about:
- Tribal Access to Emerging Private Markets for Climate Mitigation or Forest Resilience
- Inflation Reduction Act – Forest Landowner Support
For more information about grant proposals and grant management, please visit our Funding page.
- California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force Private Landowner Assistance
- CAL FIRE's California Forest Improvement Program (CFIP)
- California Association of Resource Conservation Districts
- Find your local Resource Conservation District
- University of California UC Cooperative Extension Tools for Forest Stewardship
- Forest Stewardship workshops
- Find Your Local Natural Resource Conservation Service Center
- The Forestland Steward Newsletter
- Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources Activities
- Forest Management Handbook for Small Parcel Forest Landowners in the Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascade Range
- CAL FIRE Reforestation Program
Contact Us
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Dana Walsh, Program Manager CaliforniaVoice: 530-450-5555Email: dana.walsh@usda.govKatie Friday, Program Manager Hawaiʻi and Pacific IslandsVoice: 808-785-5197Email: kathleen.friday@usda.gov