Collaborative Forest Restoration (10.679)

 

Program

10.679 Collaborative Forest Restoration

 

Federal Agency

FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF ARGICULTURE

 

Authorization

Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, Title VI-Community Forest Restoration, Public Law 106-393, Section 605, Establishment of Program.

 

Program Number

10.679

 

Last Known Status

Active

 

Objectives

The purposes of the grants are: to promote healthy watersheds and reduce the threat of large, high intensity wildfires, insect infestation, and disease in the forests in New Mexico; to improve the functioning of forest ecosystems and enhance plant and wildlife biodiversity by reducing the unnaturally high number and density of small diameter trees on Federal, Tribal, State, County, and Municipal forest lands; to improve communication and joint problem solving among individuals and groups who are interested in restoring the diversity and productivity of forested watersheds in New Mexico; to improve the use of, or add value to, small diameter trees; to encourage sustainable communities and sustainable forests through collaborative partnerships, whose objectives are forest restoration; and to develop, demonstrate, and evaluate ecologically sound forest restoration techniques.

 

Types of Assistance

Project Grants.

 

Uses and Use Restrictions

Funding may be allocated for such things as technical assistance, training and education, equipment, marketing, and all costs associated with making these services available to tribal governments, educational institutions, landowners, and other interested public and private entities.

 

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

Local and tribal governments, educational institutions, landowners, conservation organizations, and other interested public and private entities. Grant proponents must include a diverse and balanced group of stakeholders as well as appropriate Federal, Tribal, State, County, and Municipal government representatives in the design and implementation of the project. The projects may be entirely on, or on any combination of, Federal, Tribal, State, County, or Municipal forestlands. Processing facilities may be located on private land if they are associated with restoration activities on public land.

Beneficiary Eligibility

Local and tribal governments, educational institutions, landowners, conservation organizations, and other interested public and private entities. Grant proponents must include a diverse and balanced group of stakeholders as well as appropriate Federal, Tribal, State, County, and Municipal government representatives in the design and implementation of the project. The projects may be entirely on, or on any combination of, Federal, Tribal, State, County, or Municipal forestlands. Processing facilities may be located on private land if they are associated with restoration activities on public land.

Credentials/Documentation

None.

 

Application and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

The State of New Mexico Local Government Division has determined that they do not choose to exercise their option under EO 12372 to conduct an intergovernmental review of Collaborative Forest Restoration Program grant proposals. They have requested that the CFRP project proposals not be sent to their office. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure

Applicants are required to submit form SF-424, SF-424(a), SF-424 (b), AD 1047, AD 1049, and other information described in the Request for Proposals. Proposals should be sent to: CFRP Program, Cooperative and International Forestry, USDA Forest Service, Room 329, 333 Broadway SE, Albuquerque, NM 87102.

Award Procedure

The Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Technical Advisory Panel evaluates the proposals and provides recommendations to the Forest Service on which ones best meet the purposes, objectives, and administrative requirements of the program. The panel also evaluates the effect of each proposal on long-term forest management. The Forest Service Southwestern Regional Forester selects proposals for final award. The Secretary of Agriculture chartered the Technical Advisory Panel as a Federal Advisory Committee for two years on June 12, 2001 (CFR 1042-138) under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Public Law 92-463). The Secretary reauthorized the Panel's charter on July 30, 2003 (CFR 1042-138).

Deadlines

Contact the regional office for specific application deadlines.

 

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

Appeals

None.

Renewals

Not applicable.

 

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

The Federal share of an individual project cost shall not exceed 80 percent of the total cost. The 20-percent matching may be in the form of cash or in-kind contribution. Projects can not exceed a total annual cost of $150,000, with the Federal portion not exceeding $120,000 annually, nor exceed a total cost of $450,000 for the project, with the Federal portion of the total cost not exceeding $360,000 (Public Law 106-393, Title VI, Sec. 605(a) and (b)(8)).

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

Projects may not exceed 4 years in length (Public Law 106-393, Title VI, SEC. 605(b)(7). Assistance will be provided by no more than monthly payments.

 

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

Periodic and final performance reports are required. Annual financial reports will also be required. Grant recipients must attend an annual workshop with other stakeholders for the purpose of discussing the cooperative forest restoration program and projects implemented under Collaborative Forest Restoration Program. Grant recipients may use project grant funds to pay for their travel and per diem expenses to attend the workshop.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that receive financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records

State and other generally accepted accounting systems can be used if control procedures allow for proper audit and reconciliation. All grantees must maintain adequate systems for collection and recording statistical data. Project records must be maintained for a period of three years after the project has ended.

 

Program Accomplishments

The Collaborative Forest Restoration Program (CFRP) Technical Advisory Panel has met four times to provide the USDA Forest Service Southwestern Regional Forester with consensus recommendations regarding which project proposals submitted for funding under the CFRP best met the objectives of the program. From 2001 to 2004 the Panel reviewed 149 grant proposals and developed consensus recommendations to fund 62 of them. The Panel adopted bylaws to guide their work. CFRP grantees and their partners met in 2003, 2004 and 2005 at the CFRP Annual Workshop to discuss projects implemented under the program. The 2006 Annual Workshop for grantees, their partners, and other interested stakeholders will be held in Albuquerque or Santa Fe in January 2006. CFRP grants support a wide variety of forest and watershed restoration, small diameter utilization, training, and multi-party monitoring and assessment projects in New Mexico. These projects are effectively engaging board and diverse interest groups in collaborative efforts to restore New Mexico's public forestlands.

 

Financial Information

Account Identification

12-1115-0-1-302.

Obligations

(Grants) FY 04 $4,100,772; FY 05 est $4,100,700; and FY 06 est $4,100,700.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

$66,361.00 to $360,000.00.

 

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

The authorizing legislation (Public Law 106-393 Title VI), a list of the members of the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Technical Advisory Panel, The Charter for the Technical Advisory Panel, The Technical Advisory Panel Recommendations, The Request for Proposals, Project Summaries for funded activities, and a List of Forest Service Contacts can be found on the website for the Southwestern Region of the Forest Service at www.fs.fed.us/r3/spf/cfrp.

 

Related Programs

10.664, Cooperative Forestry Assistance; 10.672, Rural Development, Forestry, and Communities; 10.854, Rural Economic Development Loans and Grants; 10.901, Resource Conservation and Development; 11.303, Economic Development_Technical Assistance; 11.307, Economic Adjustment Assistance; 12.607, Community Economic Adjustment Planning Assistance.

 

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

Regional or Local Office: Refer to Appendix IV of the Catalog for addresses and telephone numbers of the Forest Service National Forests in New Mexico. These are the Gila, Lincoln, Cibola, Santa Fe, and Carson National Forests.

Headquarters Office

Telephone: (505) 842-3289, USDA Forest Service Southwestern Region, Cooperative and International Forestry staff, 333 Broadway SE, Albuquerque, NM 87122.

Web Site Address

http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/spf/cfrp

 

Examples of Funded Projects

ti-party forest restoration monitoring efforts. 6.) This project will develop maps, models and assessments of current, reference, and alternative future forest conditions and fire behavior in the Sheep Basin and Negrito Watershed areas and use a collaborative process to develop science-based prescriptions for forest restoration. Treatments will restore the size and age class distribution and spatial pattern of trees to their historic range and variability on approximately 456 acres of the Gila National Forest. The mechanical treatments will be followed by broadcast burns to reintroduce fire when it is ecologically appropriate and safe to do so. The grantee and their partners will develop a model of science-based adaptive management practices through multi-part monitoring and assessment of the ecological and socio-economic effects of the project. 7.) The project will conduct forest restoration and fuels reduction treatments on approximately 249 acres of tribal and municipal land. The non-federal match includes the treatment of 267 acres of adjoining tribal land. The project acres adjoin other on-going forest restoration projects on Forest Service land (153 acres) and private land (99 acres). The harvested material will be used by local businesses to produce wood shavings for animal bedding, compost and mulch products. Data for a multi-party assessment of the ecological and socio-economic effects of the project will be collected with assistance from the Mescalero Apache School and Youth Conservation Corps. 8.) The Santa Fe County Fire Department will thin trees to reduce fire risk and restore forest health on 43 square miles of high hazard County land in the Wildland Urban Interface where people have built homes and live in forested areas adjacent to County lands. The County will use a collaborative process to identify and prioritize areas to be treated, develop treatment methods, solicit proposals from local contractors, measure and assess treatment processes, implement a media campaign, analyze data, and train participants.

 

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

Proposals will be evaluated to determine if they followed the administrative requirements of the program and the proposal format described in the Request for Proposals. The Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Technical Advisory Panel will evaluate grant proposals based on the purpose and eligibility requirements described in the Community Forest Restoration Act of 2000 (Sec. 3 and Sec. 5, Title VI, Public Law 106-393). The Panel will consider the proposed projects effect on long-term management and the capability of the proponents to accomplish the project. The Panel will also examine the degree to which proposed activities complement existing projects and programs and evaluate whether the project would reduce the danger of wildland fire in high-risk areas in New Mexico.