Forest Stewardship Program

The Hawaii Forest Stewardship Program (FSP) is a cost-share grant and technical assistance program from the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, that supports private forest landowners in actively managing, conserving, and restoring Hawaii's forests.

The program reimburses 75% of costs for developing a 10-year forest stewardship management plan and up to 50% of implementation costs for approved management practices, subject to funding availability. Eligible activities include timber production, native species restoration, wildlife habitat improvement, watershed protection, agroforestry, carbon sequestration, and forest recreation.

Eligible applicants are individuals, joint owners, corporations, associations, and lease holders with at least 5 contiguous acres of forested or formerly forested land who intend to actively manage for both public and private benefit, with leases lasting at least 10 years. Priority ranking is applied due to limited state funding. Contact DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife to begin the application process.

Division of Forestry and Wildlife: Forestry Program | Hawai‘i Forest Stewardship Program Hawai‘i Forest Stewardship Program Hawai‘i Forest Stewardship Program He ali‘i ka ‘aina; he kauwa ke kanaka The land is a chief; man is its servant Hawai‘i’s Forest Stewardship Program (FSP), administered by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, provides planning and financial assistance to private forest landowners to promote active long-term stewardship, enhancement, conservation, and restoration of Hawaii’s forests.

FSP connects landowners with the information and tools they need to manage their forests and the resources they provide. A prepared forest stewardship management plan provides a comprehensive 10-year roadmap to managing your forest by identifying your goals and management activities needed to meet them .

75% cost-share reimbursement for the development of a 10-year forest management plan Up to 50% cost-share reimbursement for implementation of management plan practices at allowable cost-share rates set for the program *Subject to availability of program funding.

Access to technical support and resources for forest management practices Participation in a network of forest stewards across the state FSP supports a variety of management objectives, including: Forest Stewardship management plan development Timber and/or forest product production Native species restoration and/or protection Native wildlife habitat improvement Watershed, riparian, and/or wetland protection and improvement Agroforestry (the forestry component only) Forest recreation enhancement Education and community outreach Carbon storage or sequestration and/or biomass production Landowners with 1) at least 5 contiguous acres of forested (or formerly forested) land who 2) intend to actively manage at least 5 acres to enhance forest resource values for both public and private benefits are eligible.

Individuals, joint owners, private groups, associations, lease or license holders (lease must be for at least 10 years), or corporations are eligible. Interested landowners should contact Forestry and Wildlife staff to discuss their proposed project . Develop and submit a project proposal for review by the Forest Stewardship Advisory Committee (FSAC) .

Those with a pproved proposals will be invited to write and submit a full management plan that must cover a period of 10 years for review by the FSAC. Develop and submit a management plan for review by the FSAC. Implement your approved plan.

Please refer to the Forest Stewardship Program Handbook for details on participation. Forestry and Wildlife staff will not write the proposal or plan for you, but they will provide guidance and recommendations throughout the process. Due to limited state funding and numerous applicants, the FSAC will rank and prioritize approved management plans that are eligible to receive state funding.

The FSAC will provide its recommendations on funding priorities to DLNR-DOFAW for approval. For more information on the program and how to participate, please refer to the Forest Stewardship Handbook . The handbook includes procedures for application, proposal and management plan content, eligible management practices, cost-share rates, and more.

The implementation of the Forest Stewardship Program is governed by Hawai‘i Administrative Rules Chapter 109 . For more information, please contact: Division of Forestry and Wildlife In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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