Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FS WPIA 2026
Apply for USDA FS WPIA 2026
- The Forest Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2026 Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.725.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2026-02-18.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-04-22. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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Opportunity Summary:
The 2026 Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance (WPIA) Program is a discretionary grant opportunity from the USDA Forest Service funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). It is designed to strengthen the wood products and wood energy infrastructure that can handle timber and biomass generated by forest management and ecosystem restoration work, particularly in landscapes facing elevated risk of unnaturally severe wildfire, insect infestation, or forest disease. The core idea is practical: if local and regional facilities can more efficiently buy, move, and process restoration byproducts, then restoration projects on federal and Tribal lands become less expensive to carry out (or generate more revenue), which in turn makes it easier to complete more of the high-priority work needed to reduce hazardous fuels and improve forest health.
Funding is intended for capital and operational improvements to facilities that use restoration byproducts. The Forest Service is prioritizing projects that establish, reopen, retrofit, expand, or otherwise improve a sawmill, wood-processing facility, or wood-to-energy/biomass energy facility that will directly utilize material coming from federal or Tribal projects such as timber sales, stewardship contracts, or stewardship agreements. Competitive applications are expected to clearly connect the proposed facility investment to measurable improvements in market access, product value, processing capacity, or utilization pathways for restoration material. In plain terms, applicants should show how their project will turn what might otherwise be low-value or difficult-to-market material into something that can be sold or used, thereby improving the economics of restoration and land management activities.
A key eligibility and competitiveness factor is the facilitys relationship to nearby federal or Tribal supply. The facility must be in close proximity to the relevant federal or Tribal lands and must procure a substantial quantity of raw material from those lands, described in the notice as approximately 50 percent. This requirement emphasizes that the program is not simply supporting general industry modernization; it is specifically investing in infrastructure that will reliably and materially support restoration-focused supply chains tied to federal and Tribal priorities in high-risk areas. Applicants are therefore expected to demonstrate credible access to feedstock from qualifying projects and to explain how their procurement plans align with restoration work in landscapes identified as high priority for ecological restoration and risk reduction.
The opportunity is administered by the USDA Forest Service under CFDA 10.725. The funding instrument is a grant, and the award ceiling is $2,000,000 per award. Eligible applicant types are broad and include for-profit entities, state and local governments, Indian Tribes, school districts, communities, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and special purpose districts (for example public utility districts, fire districts, conservation districts, and ports). The posted original application closing date is 2026-04-22. While the listing notes expected awards without specifying a number, applicants should assume a competitive process and focus on clearly documented need, feasibility, and direct linkage between the proposed facility outcomes and reduced restoration costs or increased restoration revenues on federal and Tribal lands.
The notice also includes a technical clarification relevant to applicants using the National Insect and Disease Risk Map in the application materials. The link is now working correctly, and applicants are instructed to select the option that says "I wish to proceed to the 2012 data" to view the correct map layer, specifically the "Proportion of Treed Area at Risk by Watershed" after turning on the legend. If an applicant previously referenced an incorrect display or a map that did not show that watershed risk layer, they are advised to revisit and update their mapping and supporting documentation to ensure their application aligns with the intended risk identification data.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): 2026 Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance (WPIA) Program
What is the 2026 Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance (WPIA) Program?
The 2026 Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance (WPIA) Program is a discretionary grant opportunity administered by the USDA Forest Service. It is funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and focuses on strengthening wood products and wood energy infrastructure that can handle timber and biomass generated by forest management and ecosystem restoration work.
What is the main goal of this grant program?
The goal is to improve the ability of local and regional facilities to buy, move, and process restoration byproducts from federal and Tribal lands. By improving this infrastructure, restoration projects can become less expensive to carry out (or can generate more revenue), which helps increase the amount of high-priority work completed to reduce hazardous fuels and improve forest health.
What types of landscapes or conditions is the program focused on?
The program is particularly focused on landscapes facing elevated risk of unnaturally severe wildfire, insect infestation, or forest disease, where forest management and ecosystem restoration activities generate timber and biomass that needs viable processing and utilization pathways.
What kinds of projects does WPIA prioritize for funding?
The USDA Forest Service prioritizes projects that establish, reopen, retrofit, expand, or otherwise improve:
- Sawmills
- Wood-processing facilities
- Wood-to-energy or biomass energy facilities
Priority is tied to facilities that will directly utilize material coming from federal or Tribal projects such as timber sales, stewardship contracts, or stewardship agreements.
What types of improvements can funding support?
Funding is intended for capital and operational improvements to facilities that use restoration byproducts. The emphasis is on practical investments that improve how restoration material is accessed, processed, and ultimately used or sold.
What does the program mean by "restoration byproducts"?
In this opportunity, restoration byproducts refer to timber and biomass generated by forest management and ecosystem restoration work (including work intended to reduce hazardous fuels and improve forest health) on federal and Tribal lands.
How should an applicant demonstrate that their project is competitive?
Competitive applications are expected to clearly connect the proposed facility investment to measurable improvements in one or more of the following areas:
- Market access for restoration material
- Product value from restoration byproducts
- Processing capacity for restoration material
- Utilization pathways (turning low-value or hard-to-market material into a sellable or usable product)
Applicants should show how the project improves the economics of restoration and land management activities on federal and Tribal lands by reducing restoration costs or increasing restoration revenues.
Is there a proximity requirement for the facility being improved?
Yes. A key eligibility and competitiveness factor is the facility's relationship to nearby federal or Tribal supply. The facility must be in close proximity to the relevant federal or Tribal lands that will provide the raw material.
Is there a requirement about how much material must come from federal or Tribal lands?
Yes. The notice describes that the facility must procure a substantial quantity of raw material from nearby federal or Tribal lands, described as approximately 50 percent. This underscores that the program is intended to support restoration-focused supply chains rather than general modernization unrelated to federal and Tribal restoration priorities.
What kinds of federal or Tribal activities can provide the qualifying supply?
The notice identifies federal or Tribal projects such as timber sales, stewardship contracts, or stewardship agreements as examples of the kinds of activities that can generate material to be utilized by a funded facility.
What is the maximum award amount under this opportunity?
The award ceiling is $2,000,000 per award.
What is the funding instrument for WPIA awards?
The funding instrument is a grant.
Who administers this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is administered by the USDA Forest Service.
What is the CFDA number for this program?
The notice lists the program under CFDA 10.725.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicant types include:
- For-profit entities
- State governments
- Local governments
- Indian Tribes
- School districts
- Communities
- Nonprofit organizations
- Institutions of higher education
- Special purpose districts (for example public utility districts, fire districts, conservation districts, and ports)
When is the application closing date?
The posted original application closing date is 2026-04-22.
How many awards will be made?
The listing notes expected awards without specifying a number. Applicants should plan for a competitive process and focus on clearly documented need, feasibility, and a direct linkage between facility outcomes and improved restoration economics on federal and Tribal lands.
Is this grant intended to support general industry modernization?
No. The notice emphasizes that this program is not simply supporting general industry modernization. It is specifically investing in infrastructure that will reliably and materially support restoration-focused supply chains tied to federal and Tribal priorities in high-risk areas.
What should applicants show about their feedstock or procurement plans?
Applicants are expected to demonstrate credible access to feedstock from qualifying federal or Tribal projects and explain how procurement plans align with restoration work in landscapes identified as high priority for ecological restoration and risk reduction.
What is the technical clarification about the National Insect and Disease Risk Map?
The notice includes a clarification for applicants using the National Insect and Disease Risk Map. The link is now working correctly, and applicants are instructed to select the option "I wish to proceed to the 2012 data" to view the correct map layer.
Which map layer are applicants supposed to use from the National Insect and Disease Risk Map?
Applicants should use the layer called "Proportion of Treed Area at Risk by Watershed" after turning on the legend.
What should applicants do if they previously used the wrong map display or layer?
If an applicant previously referenced an incorrect display or a map that did not show the watershed risk layer, they are advised to revisit and update their mapping and supporting documentation so the application aligns with the intended risk identification data.
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