Western Oregon Cascadia Recovery Effort 2020 Labor Day Wildfire

This program provides financial asistance for post wildfire recovery to small forest landowners in the western Cascades who were impacted by the 2020 Labor Day fires. Eligible applicants will receive forest management planning and funding to implement conservation practices that improve the natural resource conditions of their burned forestland.

This financial assistance was awarded by USDA NRCS through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Sustainable Northwest is the lead partner of this RCPP project and administers it with the help of local partner organizations throughout the western Cascades. These partners provide technical assistance to landowners/applicants during all stages of the project (eligiblity screening, conservation planning, and implementation), and bring considerable cash and in-kind contributions to the project.

The applicant must be a non-federal or non-industrial forest landowner in western Oregon and within at least one of the following fire footprints from the 2020 Labor Day wildfires: Lionshead, Beachie Creek, Holiday Farm, Riverside, Dowty Road, Unger, Wilhoit Springs, South Obenchain, and Archie Creek. Additionally, landowners will need to complete forms and establish a farm record with the Farm Service Agency (FSA), and have an environmental review by the NRCS (CPA-52) to be determined eligible to receive funding for assistance.

There is no minimum acreage required to apply for post-fire reforestation assistance.

The applicant must own no more than a total of 5,000 forested acres in the state of Oregon. Non-profit organizations are exempt from the maximum acreage limitation.

No landowner match is required to receive these funds. These funds cannot be used as match for other federally-funded programs, such as the Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP). Federally funded assistance or financial incentive programs not administered by this program cannot be used to fund the same practices on the same acres as the assistance from this program.

The acreage within the application must be assessed through a simple NEPA analysis - a CPA-52 environmental evaluation - at no cost to the landowner. This is a standard part of the eligibility process.

The acreage within the application must have a developed and approved Forest Management Plan prior to receiving assistance. Forest Management Plans are not required during the time of initial application. Assistance funding from this program can be used to develop FMPs for proposed post-fire recovery acres.

Post-fire assistance is limited to non-commercial operations in which there was a net cost to the landowner to complete the work. In mixed forest stands, containing both commercial and non-commercial sized trees, only that portion of the acreage occupied by non-commercial trees is eligible for financial assistance.

The applicant is required to comply with all appropriate legal requirements, including obtaining appropriate permits (e.g., approved Forest Practices Application and burn permits) when required. No assistance funds will be paid for any practice implemented without proper permits or for any practice which is out of compliance with regulatory requirements at the time of completion.

The applicant (producer/landowner) and/or identified RCPP AFA partners must provide Sustainable Northwest (SNW) with acceptable written documentation (e.g., receipts from contractors and suppliers and/or time logs for do-it-yourself work) of costs incurred for each practice category for which post-fire assistance is to be paid.

Applicants/landowners agree to allow NRCS staff, SNW staff, or staff partners authorized by SNW, access to the property to determine assistance needs, feasibility, and specifications; certify the completion of work; and confirm compliance with the practice requirements. There is no requirement to allow public access to your property. Landowners will be notified before entry into property by staff associated with this funding assistance.

Applicants/landowners agree to review the boundaries of post-fire assistance approved projects and certify that they own the property on which the assistance work is to be performed. The NRCS, SNW, and/or any of the identified partners claims no legal accuracy in delineating property boundaries and will be held harmless of any potential trespass.

The landowner acknowledges and agrees that SNW is not responsible and is held harmless against all claims and suits by the landowner or against third parties for damages, injuries to person (including death), property damages, losses, and expenses including court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees, arising out of site assessments, environmental evaluations, management planning, and all post-fire remediation activities supported by this funding opportunity.