FOA-Urban
& Community Forestry (USDA-FS-UCF-010-2021); April
16, 2021
Agency
US
Department of Agriculture – Forest Service (FS)
Description
The
USDA Forest Service Urban
& Community Forestry (U&CF) Program restores, sustains,
and manages more than 140 million acres of urban and community forest lands for
the benefit of communities in the United States. Healthy urban &
community forests and green
infrastructure are not only critical to all our nation’s
forests, but also essential to the economic, environmental, physical, and
mental well-being of our population. Increasingly, our urban and community
forests are facing threats such as insects, diseases, extreme weather events
and other hazards. Additionally, the lack of investment in urban forest
disaster mitigation is contributing to community disasters such as urban
flooding and human heat deaths in our cities-- disproportionately affecting
vulnerable
populations. New systemic solutions are needed to
create and enhance green infrastructure in the right place and at the right
scale and encompass pressing social, economic, ecological, and historic factors
holistically.
GRANT
CATEGORIES
(1) Increasing Resiliency of Urban Forests
through Reforestation and Management
The
USDA Forest Service seeks innovative grant proposals for establishing climate
resilient tree species in urban and community forests that are resistant to
impacts of invasive pathogens, pests, and severe weather events. Applicants
should consider long-term forest health as it aligns with species of choice,
diversity, and genetic variation. Consider which species have proven as the
most problematic over the last 20 years and which species have been the most
reliable, problem-free and can withstand the climate impacts. Genetic diversity
within a species will depart from single genotype cultivars, which may be
aesthetically pleasing in the short-term, but offer less resilience as a biotic
and abiotic events/agents factor into survival in the future and help to adapt
to climate change by reducing exposures to future hazards, like increased heat
waves or flooding. This approach will require implementing standard protocols
to assess forest health and species resilience across the country and may
include development of new tools to improve propagation, development, or
management of urban tree plantings.
Proposals
that incorporate new or innovative planting protocols, with an emphasis on
native tree species propagated from genetically diverse local seed sources, are
encouraged. Projects should focus on capacity building and power sharing
with communities as partners and stakeholders that can assist with education,
training, and outreach on techniques to manage and monitor urban
forests. Funded projects are expected to translate and implement findings
on the ground as part of a comprehensive city / community master plan.
Timelines should reflect installation, maintenance, and monitoring results, but
not exceed 5 years.
This
category aligns with Goal 4 in the National
Ten Year Urban and Community Forestry Action Plan
(2016-2026): Strengthen Urban and Community Forest
Health and Biodiversity for Long-Term Resilience.
(2) Planning Disaster Mitigation Strategies
for Urban Forests
The
USDA Forest Service seeks innovative grant proposals for the critical management
of our existing and future urban and community forests to promote disaster risk
reduction and community resilience and better prepare communities for the
increasingly destructive impacts of climate
change. With a focus on environmental
justice communities,
where suitable tree installations can provide equitable access to shade, reduce
heat exposure, improve air quality, and reduce storm water flooding,
solutions should bring together community members, planners, local and state
government officials, urban foresters and resilience and sustainability
professionals and may include, but are not limited to, prevention, planning,
policy, preparedness, implementation, demonstrated best management and
maintenance practices, uniform standards, risk mitigation, recovery, social
equity, and reforestation.
Proposed
solutions should serve as replicable models and are to include on the ground
implementation such as increasing community capacity to use green infrastructure
in public space planning, infrastructure, private development, cost-benefit
comparisons, monitoring and results. Projects that involve planting trees should
be or become a part of an overall tree planting plan section of a community’s
comprehensive master plan, which also accounts for tree maintenance over the
span of the project in their proposals and budgets as appropriate. Systems
based solutions that position urban forests as part of addressing multiple
economic, social, and environmental stressors, for example, unemployment and
housing stabilization, are encouraged.
All
applicants are to contact their Forest Service Regional
Coordinators
before applying to provide program guidance and address any program
questions.
All grant funds must be matched at least equally (dollar for dollar).
Non-federal match may include in-kind donations, volunteer assistance, and
private and public (non-federal) monetary contributions.
Announcement
Number:
USDA-FS-UCF-010-2021
Closing
Date:
April
16, 2021
Link
to Full Announcement
https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=331183
Contact
Information
Nancy
N Stremple
202-205-7829