2025 Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance Program | USDA FS WPIA 2025

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): 2025 Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance (WPIA) Program

What is the 2025 Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance (WPIA) Program?

The 2025 WPIA Program is a USDA Forest Service discretionary grant opportunity funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It provides funding to help wood products businesses and community partners build or strengthen wood-processing capacity so they can utilize wood and woody biomass generated from ecosystem restoration work.

What problem is this program trying to solve?

Restoration projects that reduce extreme wildfire risk or address insect and disease impacts often remove hazardous vegetation. The resulting wood and woody biomass can be costly to handle and haul when there are not nearby facilities to buy and process it. By investing in local or regional wood-processing infrastructure, the program aims to reduce those costs and make restoration on federal and Tribal lands more affordable, while supporting jobs and economic activity in surrounding communities.

Who administers this grant opportunity?

The opportunity is administered by the USDA Forest Service.

What is the opportunity number and CFDA listing?

The opportunity number is USDA FS WPIA 2025, and it is listed under CFDA 10.725.

How much total funding is available under this program?

The program makes up to $20,000,000 available in total.

What is the maximum award amount per grant?

The listed award ceiling is $1,000,000 per award.

What types of projects are prioritized?

The Forest Service is prioritizing projects that establish, reopen, retrofit, expand, or otherwise improve sawmills and other wood-processing facilities that will directly utilize byproducts from ecosystem restoration activities.

What kinds of facilities or infrastructure improvements might fit the program priorities?

Projects may involve establishing new facilities, reopening facilities, retrofitting or modernizing equipment, expanding capacity, or making other improvements that increase the ability of sawmills or other wood-processing operations to accept and use restoration byproducts. The key is that the investment directly strengthens processing capacity connected to restoration outputs.

What types of wood material does the program focus on utilizing?

The program focuses on byproducts from restoration activities, including trees and woody biomass produced through timber sales, thinning operations, hazardous fuels reduction treatments, and similar vegetation management actions tied to ecological restoration objectives.

What makes an application competitive based on the description provided?

A competitive application clearly connects the proposed facility investment to an increased ability to accept and use restoration material. It also explains how the requested funding will remove bottlenecks that currently make restoration more costly, such as limited processing capacity, long hauling distances, outdated equipment, or insufficient ability to handle small-diameter or low-value material.

How does location affect eligibility or project fit?

Eligibility and project fit are strongly tied to location and sourcing. To qualify, a facility must be in close proximity to federal or Tribal lands, and it should procure a significant share of its raw material from those lands (generally described as around 50 percent or more).

Is there an expectation about where the facility sources its raw material?

Yes. The facility should procure a significant share of its raw material from nearby federal or Tribal lands, generally described as around 50 percent or more, to ensure the funded infrastructure supports restoration efforts on those lands.

What kinds of lands are emphasized for sourcing restoration byproducts?

The emphasis is on federal land, Tribal forestland, and Tribal rangeland that have been identified as high risk for wildfire, insect, or disease impacts and high priority for ecological restoration.

What should applicants describe regarding the nearby land base and restoration work?

Applications are expected to describe the nearby land base and restoration pipeline and demonstrate that the facility can reliably take in the restoration byproducts generated in that area.

What is the intended impact on restoration costs?

The program aims to lower the overall cost of restoration on federal and Tribal lands by improving local or regional processing infrastructure, which can reduce costs tied to removal, hauling, and disposal of restoration byproducts.

What are examples of bottlenecks the program is trying to address?

Examples listed include limited processing capacity, long hauling distances, outdated equipment, and insufficient ability to handle small-diameter or low-value material.

Who is eligible to apply?

A wide range of applicant types can apply, including for-profit entities; state and local governments; Indian Tribes; school districts; communities; nonprofit organizations; institutions of higher education; and special purpose districts such as public utility districts, fire districts, conservation districts, and ports.

Are awards grants, contracts, or something else?

Awards are issued as grants.

What federal law funds or authorizes this opportunity?

This opportunity is funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and supports the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Pub. L. 117-58, enacted 11/15/2021), specifically Sec. 40804(b)(3).

What broader goals does the program align with?

It aligns with federal investments aimed at strengthening resilience, reducing wildfire risk, and improving the capacity of natural resource-based supply chains, while also supporting jobs and economic activity in communities near restoration landscapes.

What is the closing date listed for this opportunity?

The posting indicates an original closing date of 2024-12-18.

When was this opportunity created or posted?

The creation date listed is 2024-10-24.

What is the program trying to achieve in plain terms?

In plain terms, the grant is designed for organizations that can show they are positioned to turn restoration residues into usable products by upgrading or expanding processing capacity near at-risk federal or Tribal landscapes, while reducing restoration treatment costs and delivering measurable community benefits.

What community benefits are expected or encouraged?

The description highlights supporting jobs and economic activity in surrounding communities through improved local wood-processing infrastructure, alongside measurable benefits tied to increased utilization of restoration byproducts and reduced restoration treatment costs.