Mechanical Fuel Reduction (MFR) Grant

Grant Funded Through USDA – Forest Service

GRANT OPENING SOON! ONLINE APPLICATIONS WILL OPEN FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL 2025

 Grant recipients will be announced below and notified by mail.

Scope of Project: Reduce the risk of home loss to wildfire through the use of accepted mechanical fuel reduction practices. Projects will be located in 39 Counties throughout Central Texas. These counties were identified by Texas A&M Forest Service Mitigation and Prevention Department and Applied Technology Department as high priority. The goal of the grant is to protect communities at risk by completing fuel reduction on private and public lands.

Grant recipients will be reimbursed for actual costs up to the thresholds listed below for conducting mechanical fuel reduction projects on their property. This grant is meant to serve as a cost-share, not 100% coverage. Work will be conducted by a hired contractor of the landowner’s choosing. The contracting service hired must not be affiliated with the landowner. Work cannot be conducted by the landowner. Previous work conducted before pre-inspections will not be accepted. Individual landowners may submit more than one application per different project location. Landowners may be approved for more than one application, however, only one of the three treatment options is allowed per application.

Treatment Options and Descriptions: The intentions behind these treatment options are to remove flammable vegetation in the home ignition zone to create defensible space around homes and structures. These treatments should also reduce the continuity of “ladder fuels” from grasses to bushes to trees. Doing so may help prevent wildfire progression between tree crowns and allow access for firefighting. Projects that create defensible space between 0 to 100 ft of the house/structure will be given priority. These projects may occur up to 300 ft in all directions from the home and/or associate structures. Another method to break up vegetation to slow wildfire progression is to create a fuel break. A fuel break is typically a linear treatment with a minimum of 66’ wide and positioned to protect homes or structures from wildfires. These projects may also occur as landscape-wide treatments within wildland areas between homes in a community. Any treatment should be located in strategic locations throughout the property.

Hand-cut treatment ($750/Acre) Vegetation and trees are removed and/or thinned/pruned/cut with hand cutting tools ONLY like shears, pole saws, chainsaws, etc. Hand cut fuel breaks may be located in areas like property lines, along access roads, or between unmanaged lands and manicured areas. -OR-

Combination treatment ($1,500) Vegetation is removed and/or thinned with hand cutting tools and a forestry mulcher (masticator). -OR-

 Mulched treatment ($2000/Acre) Trees and other vegetation are thinned/reduced with a forestry mulcher (masticator) to break up continuous vegetation.

For all 3 treatment options above, the following regulations will apply: Treatments must be a minimum of 66’ wide. All debris generated from these activities, including all dead woody debris, and cut limbs and brush, must be removed from the property or mechanically reduced. Branches of remaining mature native Texas trees must be limbed up, and/or reduced. Treatment will be subject to post-inspections to verify compliance.

Application Process: This grant is competitive, and selection will be based on the goal of reducing wildfire risk to homes. Applications for the grant will open online April 1^st and close April 30^th. They will then be reviewed by Texas A&M Forest Service Community Resilience Team and approved/declined based on the intent of the grant. Approval or declined notification letters for applicates will be mailed by end of May. We do not guarantee acceptance based on previous year’s approval.

The landowner is required to complete all questions on the online application to be considered. The landowner will need to create a map of the proposed project area displaying property owner’s boundary, location of proposed fuel treatment or fuel break, dimensions of treatment, and landowner name with aerial imagery as map background. All incomplete maps may result in disqualification. The applicant must submit contractor information and an estimate ($) of service. The last section of the online application will help calculate the estimated reimbursement using the entered project type and dimensions. Pictures of the landscape, topography and overall vegetation may be submitted for consideration. Individual landowners may submit more than one application per different project location. Treatment dimensions on one application should not overlap another application. Landowners may be approved for more than one application.

If approved, the approval letter will include a W-9 Tax Form, a Terms of Conditions Form, and your submitted application for the landowner to sign all 3 and return to Texas A&M Forest Service within 5 weeks. Applicants may switch contractors until the signed application with updated contractor information is received. Once all documents are received by Texas A&M Forest Service, the landowner will receive a letter to coordinate a pre-inspection. Only after the pre-inspection has been completed may work begin. If the contractor declines or fails to complete the work by the deadline, then the applicant may re-apply the following grant cycle. This is only available on the first occurrence. Failing to complete the work 2 years in a row will result in automatic disqualification the 3rd cycle/year.

A Texas A&M Forest Service staff member will reach out to schedule the pre-inspection. Any work conducted before pre-inspections will not be considered for reimbursement. The Texas A&M Forest Service employee will take pre-treatment photos, confirm the dimensions of your project, and answer any remaining questions about the grant process.

The hired contractor will have up to 180 days to complete all work. If work is not completed by the end of the 180-day term, the landowner can be reimbursed for the acreage that was completed. The landowner may also apply again next year for any acreage missed. No extensions will be granted. Invoices must have project address and county, description of work conducted, acreage completed and show the balance paid in full or zero balanced.

After the contractor completes their work, the landowner will contact us to schedule a post-inspection visit which will verify any work completed. The post-inspection will calculate acreage and verify dimensions were met in the approved location. If any debris generated from this project is left on landowner’s property, we may not cover reimbursement. After the post-inspection, the landowner must submit their receipts and invoices for reimbursement. Once the post-inspection is conducted and the reimbursement forms have been submitted, Texas A&M Forest Service will process all documentation and mail your reimbursement check. 

For more information, visit our webpage https://tfs.tamu.edu/mechgrant/

or email us at sfammech@tfs.tamu.edu.

*At all times during and after termination of this award, grant recipient shall, to the extent authorized under Texas law, indemnify and hold harmless Texas A&M Forest Service, The Texas A&M University System, its regents, officers, employees and affiliates against any claim, proceeding, demand, liability, or expenses (including legal expenses and reasonable attorneys’ fees) which relates to injury to persons or property or against any other claim, proceeding, demand, expenses and liability of any kind arising out of or in connection with grant recipients performance under this grant agreement.*

 + APPLY HERE

 + Mechanical Fuel Reduction Grant Timeline

 + Mechanical Fuel Reduction Grant FAQ

Can you apply for both Hand-cutting and Mulching treatment options?

• Yes, you may apply for both by choosing the “combination” treatment. Combination treatment has a max rate of $1,500 per acre if approved. Combination treatment is described as vegetation being removed and/or thinned with hand cutting tools and a forestry mulcher (masticator).

What if your contractor backs out after the application is signed and returned?

• We require a signed application with current contractor information. Changing contractors might only be allowed under extenuating circumstances. If approved to change contractors, we will need a new signed application completed with the new contractor’s information. If the contractor declines or fails to complete any work by the deadline, then the applicant may re-apply the following grant cycle. This is only available on the first occurrence. Failing to complete the work 2 years in a row will result in automatic disqualification the 3rd cycle/year.

If debris is left on site from contractor, can landowner be reimbursed?

• We may not reimburse until the debris is removed from the property or mechanically reduced to chips, which will be verified by the post-treatment inspection.

What can be reimbursed?

• Reimbursable costs are limited to those expenditures listed on a contractor's invoice that are directly related to the fuel reduction treatment approved. The purchase of equipment is not reimbursable. Invoices must have project address and county, description of work conducted, acreage completed and show the balance paid in full or zero balanced.

What if the contractor cannot complete all the acreage before 180 days?

• If work is not completed by the end of the 180-day term, the landowner can be reimbursed for the acreage that was completed.

What if I complete more than originally accepted?

• We will only reimburse what was approved on your acceptance letter for acreage or maximum reimbursement amount.

What if I want to switch treatment types after acceptance?

• If the landowner wishes to change their treatment method, project location/ dimensions, or reimbursement maximum, then the landowner will need to reapply for the next grant cycle with their changes. Once the acceptance letter and signed documents are received, only the contractor can be changed.

What if I turn in an incomplete map that does not have all the requirements?

• Your application may not qualify.

Can I submit more than one application?

• Individual landowners may submit more than one application per different project location.

• Landowners may be approved for more than one application, but each application will be reviewed individually and prioritized for funding based on best use of the available funding to meet program goals.

Can previous work be accepted?

• Previous work conducted before pre-inspections will not be accepted.

How were the eligible counites selected?

• The eligible counties were a stipulation that was defined in the federal grant that Texas A&M Forest Service received to fund this program. Goal of this program is to protect homes and structures where the concentration of high-risk fuel types and increasing populations meet with problematic fuel driven fire behavior. Eligible counties may change from year to year based on funding sources.

How are the applications scored?

• These applications will be scored on a matrix system which includes wildfire mitigation prioritization values like: wildfire hazard potential, burn probability, number of homes protected by treatment, establishment of defensible space, functional wildland urban interface, Community Wildfire Protection Plans, and Firewise USA Sites into consideration.

Why is debris burning not an acceptable debris removal method in this grant program?

• Debris burning is one of the leading causes of wildfires in the state of Texas. While debris burning can be done safely in certain locations, the short timeframe of this grant program, the time of year, and the populated locations do not make it an acceptable option for this grant program. Additionally, Texas A&M Forest Service procedures require that burning in any of our grant programs utilize contractors that are Texas Department of Agriculture- Certified and Insured Prescribed Burn Managers.

• If your contractor wants to burn the debris generated by the fuel reduction project Texas A&M Forest Service policy will not allow us to fund your project and you would forfeit the grant.