Forest Legacy Program Capacity and Project Development 2026

CAL FIRE’s Forest Legacy Program funds landscape-scale conservation projects intended to conserve working forests and working forested landscapes. This solicitation aims to increase organizational capacity for eligible applicants and support the development of high-quality forest conservation projects. Funding for this solicitation is limited to the preparation and development of potential future projects. 

Eligible Activities:  Future Projects - Funding for Forest Legacy Grant Due Diligence: Grant funds can be requested to prepare and develop future working forest conservation easement or fee acquisition projects for completion under a Federal OR State Grant. These will be referred to as “Future Projects” throughout the grant guide. The actual transactions for these Future Projects will need to be prepared and submitted for Federal or State Forest Legacy Funding at a future date, for either Forest Legacy solicitations, or solicitations to other federal or state conservation programs. Projects receiving funding under this grant line item are not guaranteed Federal or State Forest Legacy funding for projects in the future. Future Projects can include costs for preparing the following: Market analysis or restricted use appraisal for Future Projects in development; Preliminary title report and any associated documents listed in that report (deed, easements, MOUs), as well as the costs to remove exceptions; Minerals Remoteness Report or statement; Land survey with acreage and Description verification; Mapping products / GIS; Development and negotiation of Conservation Easement (CE) Deed (if not acquiring in fee); CE Baseline Document (if not acquiring in fee);    Phase 1 Environmental Assessment; Forest Management Plan, Agricultural Management Plan and/or Grazing Management Plan; Soliciting and developing potential FLP projects; Organizational staff time associated with preparation of the above mentioned documents or general work towards completion of the project; Salaries, fringe benefits, travel and supplies that directly support the FLP; Facilitating the donation of lands or interests of lands into the FLP. Eligible Applicants:  These can include, but are not limited to; nonprofits, land trusts, and conservation organizations. This program will not grant funding to a private person, business or other private entity to hold ownership of these interests (fee title or CE) using State funds. Any applicant not eligible to hold a Land Conservation Easement shall specify the intended Land Conservation Easement organization within the application. Eligible Lands are: Land that can support 10-percent native tree cover of any species, including hardwoods, under natural conditions, and has a minimum of 75 percent forestland or a documented plan that includes sufficient landowner capacity to reforest to at least 75 percent forestland. The land should allow for management of one or more forest resources, including timber, grazing, aesthetics, fish and wildlife, biodiversity, water quality, recreation, and other public benefits. Eligible Costs: The following costs are eligible for reimbursement: Future Projects – Due Diligence for Future Forest Legacy Project (a) The development and due diligence costs for future conservation easement or fee acquisition projects as stated above under Future Projects.