January 30, 2023
Some of the projects that we might want to do on our land may be to better the property, protecting oak groves, or reduce the risk of fires. But these projects can also be big and costly. They don’t have to be paid for completely out of pocket, there may be grants available that would help fund your project.
Where Can I Find Grants
You can find both local, state and federal grants to fund your projects.
Marion Soil and Water Conservation District
The MSWCD offers grants for conservation assistance. These grants solve specific natural resource issues such as erosion, weed control, overgrazing etc. They pay up to 50% of the project cost up to $7,500, the landowners have to contribute 50% of the cost. In a fiscal year you can receive $7,500 and the max payout over 5 year fiscal year period is $22,500.
Linn Soil and Water Conservation District
The LSWCD offers grants for conservation assistance like the MSWCD. Their parameters for assistance are the same, and you can receive the same amount of funding. Up to 50% of the cost with a maximum of $7,500 per year with the landowner contributing 50%.
If you live outside Marion or Linn County you can contact your local SWCD and see if they have available grants. The USDA Natural Resource Conservation also allows you to search by county what grants and projects are available to you.
In addition to the Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the Oregon Department of Forestry also has had grants for landowners in the past. In 2022 ODF awarded $5 million to projects that reduced hazardous levels of forest fuels across the state. For example, projects that used mulcher/masticator to mechanically thin 160 acres of private land in Jackson county and in other parts of southern Oregon that have extreme fire danger.
Examples of Grants Available
Some of the grants you might find on the Natural Resource Conservation website includes the Oak Woodland and Prairie Restoration and Westside Wildlife Recovery grants.
Oak Woodland and Prairie Restoration
Benton, Lane, Linn
The purpose of this grant is to restore and expand oak woodland and savannas. This is to be done by suppressing invasive weed species, controlling and removing trees that compete with oaks, and planting of new oak must be established.
We just completed a project under this grant in which we removed oak trees overrun with ivy, oaks that were competing with each other or ones that were dying or damaged. The oaks that were removed had their branches cut off, and the trunks were decked to be later used as firewood. Stumps were cut flush to the ground and the remaining slash was mulched leaving the ground smooth so the landowner would be able to run her tractor and brush hog over it.
Westside Wildfire Recovery
Douglas, Jackson, Lane, Linn, Lincoln counties
Restoration and recovery specifically in areas affected by fires, such as Santiam Canyon, Holiday Farm, Archie Creek, South Obenchain, and Echo Mountain complex
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