July
18, 2022
Prescribed
fire grant applications for Texas Plains region now open
Texas A&M Forest Service is now
accepting grant applications for the State Fire Assistance for Mitigation - Plains
Prescribed Fire Grant through August 15th, 2023. The grant will
provide nearly $92,000 in funding for prescribed burns.
Prescribed fire is the planned application of a
low-intensity fire to the landscape by fire and fuel specialists. The practice
is a strategic, planned land management tool that uses fire to achieve set
goals that are in accordance with applicable laws, policies and regulations.
“Prescribed burning is one of the most commonly used tools
for managing hazardous fuel buildups because of its relatively low cost per
acre,” said Jake Gosschalk, Texas A&M Forest Service Fuels Program
Specialist IV. “Reintroducing fire to the landscape also improves wildlife habitats
and rangeland conditions for grazing.”
Properties near communities in the panhandle, northwest,
west and south Texas at a risk for loss during a wind-driven wildfire are
eligible. The application process is
entirely online which allows landowners to work directly with the certified
prescribed burn manager of their choice to complete the application, burn plan
and map requirements.
“This year, we have adjusted the program to allow recipients
a full 12 months to complete the burn, running September 15, 2023, through
September 15, 2024”, said Gosschalk. “By
extending the burn window for landowners, they’ll have the opportunity to
conduct both cool-season and warm-season summer burns.”
Grant recipients will be reimbursed actual per acre costs
associated with conducting the prescribed burn up to $30 per acre with a limit
of 800 acres per recipient. The burn
must be conducted by either a private or commercial Certified and Insured
Prescribed Burn Manager, which landowners must identify on the grant
application.
Priority will be given to treatment sites that provide
protection to the highest-risk communities based on the Texas Wildfire Risk
Assessment Portal, are located near homes and contain ecosystems that will
benefit from prescribed fire.
Check eligibility and complete the online application here: https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/PrescribedFireGrantsApplication/.
Learn more about prescribed fire by visiting Texas A&M Forest Service
Prescribed Burns or the TDA Prescribed Burning Board.
For more information on wildfire
preparedness visit: https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/content/landing.aspx?id=19841and https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/ProtectYourCommunity/.
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Texas A&M Forest Service Contacts:
Jake Gosschalk, Program Specialist
(Fuels), (361) 571-6923, jgosschalk@tfs.tamu.edu
Andy McCrady, Program Coordinator
(Fuels), (936) 689-9393, wmccrady@tfs.tamu.edu
Communications Office, 979-458-6606, newsmedia@tfs.tamu.edu