Forest service grants available for Great Lakes restoration projects

The USDA Forest Service Eastern Region announced two requests for applications for 2021 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative projects. Through an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Forest Service anticipates up to $5.4 million will be available for reforestation, ecosystem restoration and forest health improvements on non-federal lands in the Great Lakes basin of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The Great Lakes form the world’s largest surface freshwater system and are the source of drinking water for more than 30 million people while providing many other health, ecological and economic benefits. Launched in 2010, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) strategically targets the biggest threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem and accelerates progress toward long-term restoration goals.

“Clean water flowing from forested lands serves a noble purpose,” said Gina Owens, USDA Forest Service eastern regional forester. “Through GLRI grants, the forest service invests in people working to improve forest and watershed health, ensuring that clean, clear water flows to the Great Lakes.”

Applicants can be state agencies, sovereign Tribal Nations, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and local governments that work within the Great Lakes basin. Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA) funding requests must be submitted through a CWMA or similar organized partnership that manages invasive plants across jurisdictional and land ownership boundaries within a defined area.

Applications can be submitted through two separate requests for applications:

√ The CWMA request for applications funds partnership work to address invasive plant species that pose significant ecological threats in the Great Lakes basin.

√ The forest restoration request for applications funds projects that mitigate forest insect and disease impacts, reduce runoff from degraded sites through green infrastructure, or restore and connect coastal and riparian forest habitats.

All applications for this funding opportunity must be received in Grants.gov by July 8. For more information on these opportunities, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/r9/workingtogether/grants.