DEC Announces $4.5 Million in New Grant Funding to Establish Large Forests

Planting Projects Will Contribute to Governor's '25 Million Trees by 2033' Initiative and Climate Act Scoping Plan Reforestation Goals

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar today announced $4.5 million is now available through the Establishing Large Forests (ELF) Grant Program for private landowners to establish new forests. ELF expands on New York State's popular Regenerate NY Forestry Cost Share Grant Program and is designed to support the creation of new forests crucial for mitigating climate change, providing wildlife habitat, protecting air and water quality, and supplying timber, an important renewable resource.

"Growing New York's forests of the future is essential to boosting climate resilience and this grant opportunity supports both Governor Hochul's '25 Million Trees' initiative and ongoing efforts to reforest 1.7 million acres of land across the state," said Interim Commissioner Mahar. "Every new acre of forest land brings us closer to the State's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, and private landowner play a crucial role in these efforts. Thanks to this funding from USDA, these ELF grants will incentivize forest growth on private lands and maximize the benefits of forests including biodiversity, habitat, air and water quality, and carbon storage, and I encourage all eligible landowners to apply.

Under the new grant opportunity, private landowners (or their representatives) with five or more acres of unforested land in New York State may apply for a minimum of $30,000 up to a maximum of $750,000 to reimburse costs for establishing new forests. Eligible projects include but are not limited to preparing sites and planting trees and associated forest vegetation, removing competing or invasive vegetation interfering with seedling establishment and growth, and protecting new plantings from deer browse with fencing. Additional consideration will be given to applications with projects that cover large areas.

Applicants must work with a forester or a qualified natural resource professional to develop their projects and must agree to maintain the new forest for at least 15 years. ELF is managed by DEC's Division of Lands and Forests.

DEC will host a webinar on Thursday, Nov. 14, from 9 - 11 a.m., to provide information and answer questions about this new funding opportunity. Visit DEC's website for more information. A recording of the webinar will be posted on DEC's website when available.

Applications will be accepted until 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. Applications must be submitted through the SFS Grants Management System (SFS). Those wishing to apply need to establish an account in SFS. Once registered, search SFS for "Establishing Large Forests" or "ELF." For more details about the grant opportunity, including application and scoring criteria, visit DEC's website or email [email protected].

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Partnership for Climate SMART Commodities grant awarded $60 million to five partners in New York State. DEC received $13 million for climate smart forestry practices and ELF is the first offering from DEC under the grant. Other grant partners include the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Cornell University, and Syracuse University. A small portion of the ELF grant is funded from Regenerate NY through the New York State Environmental Protection Fund (EPF).In the 2024-25 State Budget, Governor Hochul maintained EPF funding at $400 million, the highest level of funding in the program's history. The EPF provides funding for critical environmental programs such as land acquisition, farmland protection, invasive species prevention and eradication, enhanced recreational access, water quality improvement, and an aggressive environmental justice agenda.