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| Department of Environmental Conservation |
Projects Will Support New Green Jobs and Workforce Development, Strengthen New York State’s Tree Supply Chain, and Reduce Tree Costs for Consumers
Funding Bolsters Reforestation Efforts, Strengthens New York State’s Forest Product Industry, Increases Forest Resilience and Climate Mitigation, and Contributes to the 25 Million Trees Initiative
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton announced $45 million in grants to 44 projects promoting forest resilience and climate mitigation through sustainable forest management and reforestation while contributing to the State’s goal of planting 25 million trees. Through DEC’s Advancing Forest Markets (AFM) grant initiative, projects across the state will help businesses expand tree seedling and forest product capacity, production, and markets; increase access to affordable native trees; and grow New York State’s forest products economy.
“At a time when the forest products sector faces significant economic pressures, these grants provide a welcome investment in New York State’s forest-based economy,” Commissioner Lefton said. “This funding will strengthen markets for low-grade and locally sourced wood, expand processing capacity, and improve the efficiency and competitiveness of forest product businesses across the state. By helping businesses put more of the wood harvested in our forests to productive use, these investments will create jobs, support rural economies, and keep working forests economically viable.”
These projects will create new green jobs; provide field-based training across the various stages of the reforestation and forest product sectors; provide critical resources to tree nurseries, seed collection and reforestation operations, forest landowners, forestry businesses, and other organizations working to expand forest product markets and support wood as a renewable resource.
Completed projects will provide an unprecedented level of support to the reforestation supply chain over the next year as grantees use the funding to:
- Increase seed collection efforts to harvest more than 5 million native tree seeds;
- Grow more than 1 million locally adapted tree seedlings to increase regional availability;
- Distribute nearly 500,000 tree seeds and 310,000 tree seedlings for use in reforestation projects;
- Foster partnerships between more than 250 seed collectors, nurseries, and forestry practitioners to boost supply chain efficiency, reduce seedling waste, and maximize seedling survival;
- Create more than 56 full-time green jobs and more than 30 paid internships and apprenticeships;
- Produce educational materials, develop curriculum, and hold workshops to train more than 400 students, landowners, and professionals on the phases of reforestation;
- Standardize seed collection protocols to prevent overharvesting and increase seed viability, with special consideration for native species that are culturally significant to the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe; and
- Develop new technology and tools to improve inventory and tracking of tree seeds and seedlings and increase operational efficiency.
In addition, completed projects will provide groundbreaking support to the state’s forest product sector as grantees use the funding to:
- Create 24 new green jobs;
- Provide field training for nearly 100 forestry professionals;
- Process an additional 1,000 truckloads of low-grade timber to help make long-term forest management more cost effective for private forest landowners;
- Salvage more than 24 additional truckloads of wood from street tree removals and building reclamations that would have otherwise gone to landfills;
- Increasing capacity to purchase more than 400 additional truckloads of timber to encourage sustainable forest management on private lands;
- Providing education and technical assistance to more than 175 family forest landowners on sustainable forest management and planning;
- Creating more than 50 new sustainable forest management plans; and
- Increasing capacity to conduct forest inventory and planning on more than 80,000 additional acres of private forestland.
New York State Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley said, “Economic market initiatives like the Advancing Forest Markets grants are vital to promoting economic growth and industrial market development. These grants will bolster production within the forest product and nursery supply chains and enhance capacity in these industries into the future.”
New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “New York State’s working forests and tree nurseries are a critical part of our rural and agricultural economies. I commend the Governor and our partners at DEC for advancing this program, which will provide much-needed support to these markets in a time of uncertainty, while promoting sustainable forest stewardship and protecting this treasured resource for generations to come.”
Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “New York’s forest products industry supports businesses, jobs and rural economies across the state. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, these investments will help companies expand production, strengthen supply chains and open new markets for New York-grown products, creating new economic opportunities.”
Empire State Forest Products Association Executive Director Courtney Johnson Woods said, “New York’s forest products industry contributes $15.1 billion in economic output for New York State through the manufacturing sector and is vital for the health and sustainability of our forests and our rural communities. The Advancing Forest Markets Program will drive innovation in the forest products industry at a critical time and serves as a potential model for long-term investment and partnerships in market development and acceleration.”
The Nature Conservancy New York Director of Natural Climate Solutions Dr. Michelle Brown said, “Through investments in sustainable forestry and conservation, New York can create jobs, support innovation and economic development—and advance the state’s climate goals. These grant awards will help strengthen New York’s nursery and seedling supply chain, building the capacity needed to produce the trees that will support key reforestation projects and healthy forests.”
Awarded projects by region:
Capital District
Albany County
Home Earth Alliance, $973,189.00: The grant supports native tree production through expanding nursery capacity and workforce development at the IMAGINE Native Plant Farm.
National Audubon Society, $272,933: The grant helps bolster sustainable forest management by expanding professional forester workforce capacity, technical resources, and private landowner engagement. Strengthening connections among foresters, landowners, and forest markets will increase the amount of privately owned forests ready for sustainable forest management that will support healthy, productive forests and a stronger forest products economy; integrating wildlife habitat and forest management objectives.
Columbia County
Native Wild Restoration Farms LLC, $568,720: The grant helps expand statewide supply of tree seedling stock grown from climate-matched seed sources; statewide capacity to collect, process and store native tree seeds; and production of native tree seedlings by expanding staff, technological, and marketing capacity.
Warren County
Lyme Adirondack Forest Company LLC, $5,080,250: The grant supports increased lumber production through enhanced short- and long-term planning efforts and enhanced capacity for timber harvesting and forestry operations.
Washington County
Breadtree Farms LLC, $647,000: The grant supports increased native tree seed collection and reforestation capacity through an expanded network of seed collectors, database support, and increased operational efficiency.
Central New York
Cayuga County
Brookside Lumber, $1,540,000: The grant supports increased utilization of low-grade and low-value lumber by removing production bottlenecks and adding capacity to expand crane mat production.
Cortland County
Gutchess Lumber Co. LLC, $665,000: The grant supports planning and timber production through comprehensive forest inventory, property boundary marking, and increased forest natural regeneration capacity to scale timber and forest product market participation.
Madison County
Forest Integrity Timber Services LLC, $211,150: The grant supports increased forest management to create healthier forests and expand natural regeneration and forest products markets in New York State by increasing operational capacity, landowner engagement, and marketing.
State University of New York (SUNY) Morrisville, $447,500: The grant supports increased tree seedling production at the SUNY Morrisville Horticulture Department Native Landscape Nursery, workforce development, and coursework in native plant propagation. The combination of enhanced curriculum and applied learning will prepare students for careers in the growing native plant and ecological restoration sectors.
Onondaga County
Limeledge Botanical Garden and Arboretum, $1,323,000: In partnership with Go Native! Perennials LLC and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Seed Bank, the funding supports an increase in production of native tree seeds and seedlings, public engagement, and a boost in restoration markets.
Slate Hill Edible Forest, $223,000: The grant supports an increase in native tree seedling production and demand through expanded nursery operational capacity, creation of educational programs, and development of a native tree database.
Syracuse University, $692,668: The grant supports increased tree seed collection and tree seedling production of locally and culturally relevant species in Central New York and the Finger Lakes through a new synergistic collaboration between Syracuse University and the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. In addition, this project will help grow the native tree workforce through internships and traineeships at Syracuse University, and through interfacing with members of indigenous communities and other partners.
Finger Lakes
Livingston County
Matthew Weir, $1,850,000: The grant supports an increase in low-grade and underutilized wood markets in the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier by expanding operational capacity.
Monroe County
Woodwise Forestry LLC, $847,724: The grant supports increased forest market capacity through increased staffing, market-access readiness, timber availability, and increased capacity and efficiency.
Ontario County
Hickory Hill Farms, $509,860: The grant supports an increase in hardwood tree seedlings production and markets by increasing capacity for this operation.
Long Island
Nassau County
Sound Designs New York Inc., $260,000: The grant supports increased salvage and processing of hardwood trees removed from properties for furniture and architecture through enhanced capacity for kiln drying, sterilization, and wide-slab surfacing, and markets for emerald ash borer-killed ash and rot-resistant black locust trees.
Suffolk County
Landscaping by Country Garden Inc., $3,828,450: The grant supports increased production, marketing, and affordability of New York grown, native trees through enhanced workforce capacity, data collection, production efficiency, industry networking, buyer development, and a 75% tree discount program for consumers.
Mid-Hudson
Westchester County
Plan It Wild LLC, $768,099: The grant supports increased production, demand and marketing for eco-typical tree seed and mini-forests through enhanced nursery capacity, a mini-forest campaign, and a better understanding of market demand signals.
PM Excellence LLC, $1,990,000: The grant supports increased production of native trees through expanded nursery capacity, workforce capacity, and an enhanced inventory-traceability system.
Mohawk Valley
Herkimer County
Van Slyke House, $340,056: The grant supports increased production of tree seeds and tree seedlings through enhanced farm capacity, marketing, and development of a regional seed collection and seedling production network.
Montgomery County
Willow Water LLC, $229,000: The grant helps bolster seed collection and seedling production by supporting expansion of nursery operations and capacity, establishing and training a community seed collection network, building a regional seed source map, and marketing.
Oneida County
B&B RE LLC, $7,678,661: The grant helps bolster pallet wood production capacity and processing of low-grade wood feedstocks through increased pallet component output, manufacturing efficiency, and utilization of more species.
Schoharie County
CDS Firewood and Logging LLC, $199,500: The grant supports expanded expand utilization of low-grade hardwood in New York State by increasing annual firewood production and increasing operational capacity, while improving inventory reliability and strengthening local forest product markets.
New York City
Kings County
Tri-Lox Millworks LLC, $1,600,287: The grant supports increased sourcing of New York lumber from sustainably managed forests and waste and recycling streams through enhanced local supply chain capacity, network development, and market readiness.
Richmond County
New York City Parks, $1,605,304: The grant helps bolster native tree seed and nursery production capacity at the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation's Plant Ecology Center and Nursery (PECaN) by increasing capacity for tree seed collection and processing efforts, tree seedling propagation, workforce training, knowledge sharing, marketing, and distribution.
North Country
Clinton County
KS Nursery, $250,000: The grant supports collection of native, locally sourced seeds to produce native, climate resilient trees seedlings through a start-up tree nursery operation to strengthen New Yorks forest-based markets.
Mace Chasm Farm, $105,000: The grant supports production of native bareroot and grafted tree seedlings by increasing staff capacity, marketing, and developing a peer-to-peer knowledge transfer network of seed collector, propagation, and field growing operators.
Weathered Tree LLC, $236,000: The grant supports increased seed collection and tree production by increasing nursery operational capacity, focusing on production of oak and hickory trees.
Essex County
Ausable Freshwater Center, $2,000,036: The grant supports increased tree seedling production by enhancing seed procurement, and tree seedling production, post-harvest, sales, and distribution capacity, and marketing.
Franklin County
Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, $382,737: The grant supports the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Native Plant Nursery to expand production of locally and culturally relevant native tree seedlings needed to meet restoration objectives in Akwesasne through an increased emphasis on seed collection efforts, additional nursery operation capacity, and community engagement.
Southern Tier
Broome County
AMRO United Corp, $651,480: The grant supports increased sustainable forest management by expanding capacity for forest management planning, vegetation management control, landowner engagement, and seed collection and increasing administrative and technological efficiency.
Tioga County
ArcheWild LLC, $2,912,725: The grant supports an increase in seed collection, containerless tree seedling production, and tree seedling sales through expanded operational capacity and the adoption of a new native seed collection and growing software platform at a new New York State start-up nursery.
Understory Conservation Nursery LLC, $150,780: The grant supports increasing native tree production capacity through strategic investments in workforce, seed collection partnerships, and marketing, which will provide reliable, documented-provenance, seedling planting stock for New York's reforestation, conservation, and agroforestry initiatives.
Tompkins County
Khuba International, $436,500: The grant supports increasing reforestation capacity by developing training to build landowner interest and capacity to plan for tree planting, assisted natural regeneration, and forest restoration.
Permaculture Berkshire LLC, $251,000: The grant supports the expansion of regional forest-market capacity, by scaling forest stand operational efficiency, improving maple syrup processing and production, and training landowners across the region.
Western New York
Chautauqua County
Native Forest Nursery, $1,797,000: The grant supports an increase in tree seedling production by increasing operational capacity and implementation of standardized production and traceability systems.
Southern Tier Seed and Tree LLC, $442,600: The grant supports an increase in tree seed collection, processing, storage, and distribution through investment in operational capacity, workforce capacity, and inventory systems to enhance the state’s native seed supply chain.
Erie County
Allison Lynne Sagraves, $336,000: The grant supports increased reforestation capacity on private lands through the development of software and data system using published tree seed collection and regeneration standards and protocols, data model and database schema.
Primeval Forest LLC, $271,330: The grant supports an increase in tree seed collection and tree seedling production through the increase in operational capacity, the establishment of a local seed collection and growers resource sharing network, and encouraging hyper local seed share events.
Niagara County
Swiftwater Organic Farmstand & Reserve, $196,732: The grant supports and increase tree seed collection and tree seedling production through the establishment of a regional workforce development and seed harvesting educational network, and direct operational capacity to support New York State's reforestation supply chain.
The 25 Million Trees Initiative was launched by Governor Hochul in recognition of the importance of New York’s forests to mitigate climate change, combating extreme heat, and making communities more resilient. Whether you plant one tree or many, every New Yorker can contribute to the statewide total by recording the trees they plant in DEC’s Tree Tracker. To learn more about how to contribute to the 25 Million Trees Initiative, visit DEC’s webpage.
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under agreement number NR233A750004G035.
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