Prescribed fire grants are available to eligible Texas property owners who use certified and insured prescribed burn managers.
Prescribed fire is a land management practice that eliminates brush, weeds, dried vegetation and downed trees. It also fosters seed and plant regeneration, reduces invasive plants and restores soil nutrients.
“Prescribed burning can be an important and effective tool for landowners to reduce wildfire risk, while enhancing wildlife habitat and promoting a healthier forest ecosystem,” said Weldon Dent, Texas A&M Forest Service fuels specialist.
He sites the 2022 extreme wildfire season as a good example of the importance of prescribed burning. “Prescribed fire in a controlled environment can reduce the intensity of an unplanned fire by reducing the fuel load on the ground.”
Applications are available through the Texas A&M Forest Service. The grants apply to prescribed burns on private lands across the state, each with its own goals. The following grants are available:
Community Protection Program Grant: available to property owners within 10 miles of a national forest in East Texas. It’s also available to property owners within 10 miles of the Caddo and Lyndon B Johnson national grasslands.
State Fire Assistance for Mitigation Central and East Texas Grant: available to all counties in the eastern part of the state, from Goliad County in South Texas to Cooke County along the Red River.
Neches River and Cypress Basin Watershed Restoration Program Grant: available for prescribed burning in priority East Texas watersheds.
Texas Longleaf Conservation Assistance Program: available for East Texas landowners interested in enhancing longleaf pine ecosystems. This cooperative program is available in select counties throughout the year. For details on this program, visit https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/longleaf/.
State Fire Assistance Mitigation Plains Prescribed Fire Grant: available to residents in the Panhandle, West Texas and South Texas. Applications are available June 15 through Aug. 15.
The Texas A&M Forest Service does not conduct the prescribed burns. Grant recipients must select a certified and insured prescribed burn manager to be eligible for reimbursement.
The deadline to apply is Sept. 30. Interested landowners can determine eligibility and find an application at tfsweb.tamu.edu/cppgrant.
For information about other natural resource programs that offer financial assistance to Texas landowners, visit https://texasforestinfo.tamu.edu/fundingconnector/.
Prescribed fire can reduce the intensities of future, unplanned wildfires
