PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The RI Forest Health Works Project is a Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) agreement between NRCS, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Division of Forest Environment and ten partners. This partnership will leverage over $4M of federal funds over 5 years to protect critical forests across Rhode Island. This year project partners will hold separate application ranking cutoff dates for our two different program options.
Program Options
The RI Forest Health Works RCPP Project provides financial and technical assistance to help conserve forest lands and their related benefits through U.S.-Held Easements that allow eligible landowners to enter into direct contracts with NRCS to place conservation easements on their land to protect critical forestlands. Applications can be submitted through the November 13, 2024, ranking cut-off.
Applications will be ranked according to their contribution to the RCPP project goals of protecting forest land, water quality, and wildlife habitat.
Applying for Assistance
Funding is provided through a competitive process. NRCS accepts applications for its conservation programs year-round but sets state-specific ranking dates to evaluate applications for funding. These dates account for producer needs, staff workload and ensure potential participants have ample opportunity to apply. Interested participants and entities should apply by the ranking cutoff date listed above to be considered for funding in the current cycle. Applications received after this ranking date will be automatically deferred to the next funding period.
For help applying for the RI Forest Health Works RCPP Project announcement, contact Samantha Thibault, Conservation Planner, at [email protected] for U.S.-held easements. NRCS is a federal agency that works hand-in-hand with conservation districts and the people of Rhode Island to improve and protect soil, water, air, plants, animals and other natural resources. For more information, visit www.ri.nrcs.usda.gov.
Call NRCS Rhode Island today to see how we can help you help your land!
–USDA NRCS Rhode Island
