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Wood Innovations

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Sustainability With Wood Products

Wood is a renewable resource with countless uses, and sustainably harvesting wood to make wood products is good for the health of forests and local economies. The Forest Service's Wood Innovations grants are investing in wood products economies nationwide.

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Protecting the Resource

Wood Innovations Grant recipient Neal Creek Forest Products works on several forest management projects on Oregon and Washington. The company is based in Hood River, Oregon, where they play an indispensable role in ensuring healthy forests.

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National Utilization & Marketing Staff Directory

This searchable directory can help you make connections to state and national assistance.

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A graphic that shows the USDA Forest Service Wood Innovations Program, a series of several images from wood buildings to timbers on forested lands.
Wood Innovations Program Overview

The USDA Forest Service Wood Innovations Program expands and creates markets for wood products and wood energy that support long-term, sustainable management of National Forest System lands and other forest lands.

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Wood Innovations Program

To learn about Wood Innovations projects across the country, visit the Wood Innovations Project Search page.

News & Announcements

Wood Grant Programs

Wood Innovations Grant Program - Application period closes April 22, 2026

The Wood Innovation Grants Program, launched in 2015, stimulates, expands, and supports U.S. wood products markets and wood energy markets to support the long-term management of National Forest System and other forest lands. National focus areas include mass timber, renewable wood energy, and technological development that supports hazardous fuel reduction and sustainable forest management. The deadline to apply for financial assistance through Grants.gov is 11:59 pm EST on April 22, 2026. An active System for Award Management (SAM) registration and Grants.gov accounts are required to apply. Contact the appropriate regional coordinator or Collin Buntrock collin.buntrock@usda.gov for more information.

Community Wood Grant Program - Application period closes April 22, 2026

The Community Wood Grant Program, launched in 2020, provides funding for grants to install thermally led community wood energy systems or to build innovative wood product manufacturing facilities. The Forest Service expects renewable wood energy systems installed under this program to use the most stringent control technologies. The program places extra emphasis on assisting sawmills in economically challenged areas to retool or add advanced technology. The deadline to apply for financial assistance through Grants.gov is 11:59 pm EST on April 22, 2026. An active System for Award Management (SAM) registration and Grants.gov accounts are required to apply. Contact the appropriate regional coordinator or Alex Kazer robert.kazer@usda.gov for more information.

Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance (WPIA) Grant Program - Application period closes April 22, 2026

The Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance provides funding may be used to provide support for facilities that purchase and process byproducts of ecosystem restoration projects.  This includes applications to establish, reopen, retrofit, expand, or improve a sawmill or other wood-processing facility in close proximity to federal or Indian lands that need ecosystem restoration and will generate byproducts. The emphasis is on areas of unnaturally severe high fire or insect or disease infestation with high or very high priority for ecological restoration. The deadline to apply for financial assistance through Grants.gov is 11:59 pm EST on April 22, 2026. An active System for Award Management (SAM) registration and Grants.gov accounts are required to apply. Contact the appropriate regional coordinator or Jeff High jeffrey.c.high@usda.gov for more information.

Wood Innovations Technical Assistance

Wood Manufacturing Assistance Team: The Wood Manufacturing Assistance team delivers critical technical assistance to forest products manufacturers through a partnership with the U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities and industry experts. This program provides technical assistance for facilities to identify opportunities for facility and equipment improvements, improve operations, evaluate current and potential market opportunities, and support long-term planning needs to maintain and build American wood products manufacturing. For more information, please visit the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities website.

Wood Energy Technical Assistance Team: The Wood Energy Technical Assistance Team supports facilities to advance thermal and combined-heat-and-power (CHP) projects from concept to implementation. The team also works to ensure that implemented projects are sustained and successful through ongoing technical assistance. Since 2009, the team has worked with partners across the United States on more than 200 projects that annually use over 850,000 green tons of biomass from forest management and industry residues, support 2,686 jobs, and add $34 million to local economies. For more information, visit the Forest Markets - Wood Energy Technical Assistance Team web page.

Success Stories

Wood Innovations Grants are making a difference across the country. From funding for advanced computer numerical control systems that can produce state-of-the-art prefabricated mass timber building materials, to renewable energy systems that run on wood chips, these grants are helping address critical issues like climate change and helping sustain local economies.

Project Report Templates