Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trusts Grant Program is sponsored by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Provides funding to accredited land trusts for purchasing conservation easements on privately owned forested land to protect these areas from future development.

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The Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trusts Program offers competitive matching grants to qualified New York land trusts to fund the acquisition of conservation easements on forestland that will increase the pace of forested land conservation to combat the impacts of a changing climate.

The Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trusts Program is a public-private partnership funded through the state Environmental Protection Fund and administered by the Alliance, in coordination with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. According to the 2020 New York State Forest Action Plan, “[p]rivately owned forestlands cover 13. 52 million acres and represent 74% of New York’s forests.

10. 2 million acres are considered family-owned or non-corporate forests. Nearly 700,000 private forest landowners provide the public with the benefits of clean air and water, carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat and a forest-based economy.

” The plan identifies some of the biggest threats to keeping privately owned forests healthy and intact as follows: development pressure, inconsistent or lack of professional forest management practices, succession planning and invasive pests that are often exacerbated by climate change and have the potential to devastate or completely wipe out entire tree species.

Land trusts are uniquely positioned to help private forest owners protect and manage their lands while educating the public about the benefits of forest conservation to the environment and economy.

2026 grant availability announcement press release 2025 grant awards summary 2025 Request for Applications (archived) 2024 Request for Applications (archived) The Land Trust Alliance, with support from Governor Kathy Hochul, the New York State Legislature and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is pleased to announce a fifth round of competitive land trust grants through the Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trust Program.

This public-private partnership is funded through the state Environmental Protection Fund and administered by the Alliance, in coordination with the DEC. Up to $1. 35 million in funding is available through the 2026 grant round which will be awarded in the fall of 2026.

Grant awards are contingent upon the receipt of state funds. Applications will be due Aug. 13.

2026 Request for Applications 2026 Term Sheet Cross Walk Informational Webinar, May 6 at 1 p. m. Contact jbrown@lta.

org to register. A recording will be posted here shortly thereafter. Land trust must be accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission .

However, applicants do not need to be members of the Land Trust Alliance to apply for or received grant funding. Non-member land trusts are encouraged to learn more about the benefits of Land Trust Alliance membership .

Projects must provide permanent protection via conservation easements consistent with the provisions of Environmental Conservation Law Article 49 that satisfy the minimum conservation easement requirements contained in the Term Sheet in Appendix C.

The easement must explicitly run in perpetuity, and the applicant (or another eligible land trust identified in the application and expressly collaborating with the applicant on the project) must be the intended long-term easement holder. The conservation easement must be registered with DEC. A Notice of Grant, Appendix F, must be attached to the final conservation easement as an exhibit.

Forests (as defined in the Term Sheet Appendix C) must cover at least 50% of the protected property. Lands used for agricultural cannot exceed 25% of the protected property. Sustainable forest management must NOT be a prohibited use (although it may be prohibited on portions of the property, where appropriate).

Timber harvests must be conducted pursuant to a forest management plan under the supervision of a qualified forester (as further described in the Term Sheet in Appendix C) and approved by the easement holder (except in limited cases for on-site uses of timber harvested from the protected property).

Acquisition must be able to close during the grant period, however, only projects that have not yet closed prior to signature of the Grant Agreement are eligible. It is recommended projects do not close until all required pre-closing items on the Due Diligence Checklist in Appendix B are satisfied as failure to complete them may jeopardize awardee’s eligibility to receive grant funding.

The following resources are collected below to help support your application. These materials are for your reference and not required reading. However, pursuant to the request for application, your application should directly address the first three items listed below under "State of New York."

If you have trouble accessing any of these documents, please contact Jamie Brown at the email address below.