The Maine Forest Service (MFS), housed within the state’s Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s (DACF), has been awarded two Community Wildfire Defense Grants (CWDG) by the federal government.
Maine is the first and only New England state to be chosen as a recipient of this funding.
Totaling a combined $258,000, these grants are designed to “safeguard homes, businesses, forestland, and infrastructure from catastrophic wildfires.”
These grants will facilitate the creation of Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) over the next five years in Northern and Downeast Maine.
This past fall the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service received 535 applications from across the country.
158 of these — less than 30 percent — were ultimately selected, and span 31 states, two territories, and eleven Tribes.
“Earning these federal grants is a significant accomplishment for our [MFS],” said , DACF Commissioner Amanda Beal in a press release Friday. “Given the competitive nature of these grants, typically awarded to western states, we are incredibly proud that Maine is the first New England state to be awarded these funds.”
“As the most heavily forested state with a history of rural wildfires, it is crucial to prioritize wildfire risk mitigation,” said Patty Cormier, MFS Director. “This federal funding will enhance our efforts to protect communities and ensure their safety from wildfires.”
“We are thrilled to receive the CWDG grants and are eager to collaborate with County Emergency Management Agency directors, Fire Chiefs, and large forest landowners to mitigate wildfire risks and bolster the resilience of our forests,” said Robby Gross, Chief Forest Ranger.
According to the Maine DACF, the MFS “will lead the development of CWPPs, coordinate data collection, and engage stakeholders and the public.”
The state’s CWPPs will “evaluate wildfire risks, inventory access routes, utility corridors, and other critical assets,” as well as “foster collaboration between local governments, fire departments, state agencies, the Maine Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC), and other key stakeholders.”
The grant for Northern Maine encompasses Millinocket, East Millinocket, Medway, and several adjacent unorganized territories.
The Downeast grant includes Whiting and Dennysville, as well as four unorganized territories in Southeast Washington County.
Click here to Read the Maine DACF’s Full Press Release
Funding for the CWDG Program was sourced through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and was designed to “help at-risk local communities and Tribes plan for and reduce wildfire risk.”
Grants awarded through this program may either be used to develop CWPPs or to implement projects described in such plans that are less than ten years old.
“At-risk communities” are defined as those which have “high or very high wildfire hazard potential,” are low income, or have been “impacted by a severe disaster that affects the risk of wildfire.”
Click Here for More Information on the CWDG Program
Combined, the grants awarded through this round of CWDG funding come to $250 million. The program has been given a total of $1 billion to distribute over the course of five years.
The CWDG Program is currently in its second year.
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Illegals could pick up dead timber this summer.
Sandy, there isn’t enough dead timber to keep them employed there are so many, not that they want to work. More printed money from a gov’t 34 trillion in debt. it seems like there are as many gov’t agencies as dollars of debt all looking to spend your money.