Delaware Launches $1.5 Million Forest Resiliency Fund to Enhance Stewardship and Combat Forest Loss

DOVER, Del. (March 26, 2025)—The Delaware Forest Service received $1.5 million from the U.S. Forest Service to establish the Delaware Forest Resiliency Fund to create a cost-share program where landowners can address forest resiliency through tree planting, invasive species removal, and prescribed fire.

“This is by far the largest amount of grant funding in history that the Delaware Forest Service has received to promote forest stewardship to help improve forest conditions throughout the state,” said Kyle Hoyd, Delaware State Forester. “We are excited to be able to implement the Delaware Forest Resiliency Fund to expand upon the efforts of our existing cost-share programs to improve forest resiliency by supporting private forest landowners in increasing forest cover and diversity.”

The Delaware Forest Resiliency Fund is open to all landowners, including non-industrial private forestland owners, homeowners associations, nonprofits, municipalities, and county government. All projects must be a minimum of three acres in size, but an eligible landowner cannot own more than 10,000 forested acres in Delaware. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and approved on a first-come, first-served basis, as funding allows. For more information or to apply, visit https://de.gov/forestresiliencyfund.

Forest loss has been one of the greatest threats to Delaware’s forests. Depending on the area within the state, there tend to be pine monocultures or severely high-graded hardwood stands. By utilizing native species in tree planting projects, such as oak species, shortleaf pine, Atlantic white cedar, bald cypress, and pitch pine, landowners can build resiliency in their forests. The goal of reforesting and creating new forestland is to slow the total net canopy loss in the next five years.

“Along with tree planting, we also selected invasive species control and prescribed fire as practices that would help improve forest health and resiliency, not only for participating landowners but all Delawareans,” said Forest Stewardship Coordinator Laura Upham. “Healthy, resilient forests are better equipped to protect water quality, improve air quality, increase carbon sequestration, and have aesthetic qualities that benefit everyone.”

Invasive species are a significant threat to the forest as they outcompete and displace native plant species, impact available food, and cover resources for native wildlife. To qualify for funding involving invasive species removal or control, the plant must be considered an invasive under the Delaware Invasive Species Council and found in the forest, as defined by the United States Forest Service.

Implementing prescribed fire allows native species that require fire as part of their life cycle to return to the landscape, and invasive species that flourish without fire are removed. Under the prescribed fire projects, eligible landowners can use the funding to install permanent vegetative fire breaks, allowing future prescribed burns to be conducted regularly. Funds can also be used to write prescribed fire burn plans, implementation measures, and other practices needed to perform a prescribed fire safely.

While tree planting projects have no maximum payment allocated, the invasive species removal and prescribed fire projects have a cap of $10,000 per landowner. Payments for tree-planting projects will be made directly to suppliers and contractors. Landowners requesting funds for invasive species removal or prescribed fire will be reimbursed for the projects once proof of implementation has been received and verified.

The Delaware Forest Resiliency Fund was created with funding from the US Forest Service as part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law No: 117-169, Subtitle D, Sec. 23002 (a)(1)). For more information on how to apply for opportunities under the Delaware Forest Resiliency Fund, visit https://de.gov/forestresiliencyfund.

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