Last Updated January 24, 2005
Forest Service Economic Recovery Program
Providing technical and financial assistance to build capacity and diversify the economies of rural communities dependent on forest resources
The Forest Service's Economic Recovery Program provides strategic planning, technical and financial assistance, training, and education to rural communities faced with economic problems associated with resource management decisions and policies. Economic Recovery is intended to help communities develop strategic action plans to build community capacity, diversify their economic base, and improve the economic, social, and environmental well-being of rural areas.
Specific actions focus on organizing broad-based community teams, strategic planning, and implementing projects contained in local action plans. Funds can also be used for project seed money, feasibility studies, and business plan development.
Economic Recovery is a program component of Rural Community Assistance (RCA), a core Forest Service effort since 1990. RCA, which includes Economic Recovery and Rural Development, is a broad-based effort to help the agency and rural communities integrate natural resource management and rural community assistance.
RCA emphasizes working with diverse partners while developing long-term sustainable solutions to problems and opportunities identified in local, community-based plans. Specifically, the agency:
- Carries out land management responsibilities that affect local communities
- Has professional expertise needed by communities
- Can provide seed money to catalyze local action and leverage other resources.
Community-level efforts are accomplished with most of the coordination and technical assistance being provided by employees located on national forests. The program works with thousands of partners nationwide and interacts directly with state foresters and other appropriate agencies.
Project Examples
- Building the capacity of the Watershed Resource and Training Center in Hayfork, CA, to provide assistance not only to local people and businesses, but also to other rural places across the West in community-based forestry using peer-to-peer learning.
- Developing and implementing an ecosystem management plan that includes commercial opportunities for using small-diameter, second- growth pine in Montezuma, Delores, and La Plata counties in southwestern Colorado.
- Strategic planning to maintain the rural character yet enhance social and economic benefits of community change in Wakulla County, FL.
Application and Financial Information
The National Forest Supervisor's offices of the
USDA Forest Service can help you prepare applications.
Communities are expected to work with
their local Forest Service office to prepare a local
strategic action plan before requesting other
financial assistance. Applicants for grants need
to submit form SF-424(A) with a form SF-424.
Funding decisions are based on community
and regional priorities. Average grants range
from $5,000 to $30,000. The federal contribution
to the overall implementation of an action plan
cannot exceed 80 percent of the total cost of the
plan.
Eligibility, Uses, and Restrictions
Aid is targeted to communities that are located
in or near a national forest system and are
economically dependent on forest resources or
economically distressed by natural resource policies and decisions. The applicant
must be a local
government, Tribe or area represented by a nonprofit
corporation or institution under state or
federal law to promote broad-based economic
development.
Aid is given to communities having populations of not more than 10,000, or to any county not contained within a metropolitan statistical area. In both cases, the county must derive 15 percent or greater primary and secondary labor and proprietary income from forestry and forest related industries, such as recreation and tourism, range, minerals, and wildlife.
In all cases, the community or county must also be within 100 miles of the boundary of national forest system lands. Individual businesses are not eligible for direct assistance.
Contact
Contact your local regional representative,
who can be located from the following website:
www.fs.fed.us/cooperativeforestry/programs/eap/eap_coord.shtml
Internet
www.fs.fed.us/cooperativeforestry/programs/eap/index.shtml
