Cost-Share Opportunities for Private Forestland Owners

Funding assistance may be available to support the health and benefits of your land.

“Given ongoing cuts in federal funding, there will likely be impacts felt here in Massachusetts both through state and federal funding programs.

Despite this challenge, we remain committed to providing essential technical assistance, outreach and support to landowners.

State programs likely to be impacted include DCR's Forest Stewardship Program cost-share funding, Climate Stewardship Incentive Program (C-SIP), and timber mat program for licensed timber harvesters. Funding for these programs used to run through DCR's Working Forest Initiative, which had been rebranded as ForestsWork.”

Own Forestland? You may be Eligible for Funding to Support the Health and Benefits of Your Land

Your woods provide clean air and water, wildlife habitat, recreation, and local wood –funding assistance can help you keep them thriving. 

CostShare_Table_July2025.csv

Develop a Forest Stewardship Plan

The Forest Stewardship Program currently has funds available to private woodland owners and municipalities for preparing new stewardship plans and upgrading existing plans to include Bird and/or Climate Assessments. Visit the Forest Stewardship site for more information about Stewarding your land. 

Who is eligible?

Private landowners, joint landowners, groups and associations, non-profits, long term lease holders, and corporations without publicly traded stock are all eligible. Municipal governments are also encouraged to develop Stewardship Plans for their Town Forests or Conservation Commission woodlands, and may be eligible for cost-sharing. 

Exceptions

Owners principally engaged in the primary processing of raw wood products are not eligible. 

Please contact Michael Downey, Program Coordinator, DCR at 413-212-3039 if you are:

• A landowner with fewer than 10 acres
• A municipality

Applying

Once you’ve decided you’d like to proceed, the next step is to mail in a Cost Share Application and a W-9 Form or submit both by applying online.

How and when will I be notified?

We will typically be in touch by email to confirm we received your application. We will then respond with notice of your approval by mail within 3 weeks after an application has been submitted, depending on any issues with delivery.

What happens after I’ve been approved?

1. Work with a private consulting forester to create a Stewardship Plan for your woods. 
2. Once completed, submit your plan, private consulting forester invoice, and Cost-Share Reimbursement Form to MA DCR Service Forestry staff. 
3. Once approved by your Service Forester, your plan will be mailed back to you. 
4. Your cost-share reimbursement payment will be mailed. 
5. You will receive an IRS Form 1099 for “Miscellaneous Income”. Consult with your tax preparer if you have questions. 
6. Typically reimbursements are made within 45 days, pending volume of processing. A W-9 form for private landowners must be received prior to reimbursement.

Forest Stewardship for Private Landowners  Online Application 

Bird Assessment

Black-capped chickadee

The DCR Foresters for the Birds Program, in partnership with MassAudubon, provides funding assistance to landowners to work with a consulting forester or other qualified professional to evaluate existing and potential habitat for a selection of birds.

Applying for Foresters for the Birds cost-share is part of the general Forest Stewardship Cost-Share Application.

Foresters for the Birds Program  Online Application 

Climate Assessment

Climate Forestry is a Massachusetts DCR program providing cost share assistance to landowners to hire a qualified consulting forester to conduct a climate-focused forest assessment on their land. Consulting foresters must attend a series of trainings to become certified to provide this service to landowners.

Applying for Climate Forestry cost share is part of the general Forest Stewardship Cost-Share Application.

Climate Forestry Program  Online Application 

Technical Assistance

Thinking about your stewardship goals while considering climate impacts can take time. DCR Technical Assistance cost-share program is available to landowners to help.

Cost-Share funds up to 4 hours of technical assistance from a private consulting forester prior to the writing of a Forest Stewardship Climate Plan. This time may be used to review landowners’ long-term stewardship goals so that their plan reflects their needs.

Assistance with a consulting forester is also available to review the finalized Stewardship Plan. The Cost-Share program funds up to 2 hours to extend to landowners the opportunity to ask final questions regarding the management expectations written into the plan for their land.

Before meeting with your forester, consider the following:

• Why do you own your land? 
• What do you cherish about your woods? 
• What makes your property special? 
• Is there a specific part of your property you have questions about? 
• What questions do you have about the impacts of climate change on your land? 
• Do you have any plans for your woods in the next 12 years? 
• What do you want your land to look like in five years? 50 years? 
   

Sample questions to ask your consulting forester:

• How do you expect my woods to respond to climate change during the next several decades?
• Are there conditions that make my land vulnerable to specific impacts?
• How much disturbance is normal? When should I be concerned?
• Under what circumstances should I intervene, versus letting nature take its course?
• Are there tree species I should plant or favor to help my woods cope with climate change?
• Are there any opportunities for funding for carbon benefits, invasive plant management and other related management?

Applying for Technical Assistance cost-share is part of the general Forest Stewardship Cost-Share Application.

Online Application 

For Municipalities: Community Woodland Grant

Municipal governments are encouraged to develop Stewardship Plans for their Town Forests or Conservation Commission woodlands, and may be eligible for cost-sharing and a Community Forest Stewardship Grant Program. 

About the Program

Since 2011, the Massachusetts Forest Stewardship Program has offered municipalities a 75-25 matching reimbursement grant. This grant is available for all municipal land enrolled in the Forest Stewardship Program, including town forests, open spaces, and water supply areas. The Community Woodland Grant also supports landscape stewardship planning, community engagement, and outreach.
 

The grant aims to assist communities in implementing & demonstrating forest stewardship practices, connecting local citizens to their forests, and highlighting the benefits these forests provide, including a local source of wood products, clean water, biodiversity, and wildlife habitat.

Grant Application Process

The grant is offered on an ongoing basis as funding permits. The award amount is based on available funds, applicants, and other variables. Proposals are accepted on a First-Come, First-Served (FCFS) basis.

Eligibility

Municipalities with open space currently enrolled in the Forest Stewardship Program are eligible.  

The Community Woodland Grant seeks to fund projects that result in sustained improvements in local capacity for excellent forest management, community outreach, and education. These include:

• Implementation of a Forest Stewardship Plan: Funding the strategic management of municipal forest resources, including local use of wood products, habitat restoration, or forest management activities.
• Outreach Component of the Forest Stewardship Plan: Funding projects that put into practice the outreach component of the stewardship plan.
• Landscape Stewardship Planning represents a holistic approach to forest conservation that transcends property boundaries, uniting multiple landowners to collectively address shared concerns and opportunities within the community. This approach involves collaborative efforts aimed at achieving social, economic, and environmental goals embraced by stakeholders through active community and landowner engagement. A Landscape Stewardship Plan is a vital component of a broader landscape stewardship project, specifically designed to tackle landscape-level concerns across all ownerships.  The Landscape Stewardship Plan offers not just a strategic "roadmap" but also a structured methodology for identifying priorities and effectively allocating resources. This strategic approach will empower your community to better assess its capacity and establish a solid foundation for future financial support.

Award

Evaluation and Selection: Applications are evaluated on a First-Come, First-Served basis (FCFS). Prerequisites include a current Forest Stewardship Plan on file at DCR for the property and the proposed project must support the activities, objectives, and ideals laid out in the Forest Stewardship Plan.  Applicants proposing Landscape Stewardship Planning and/or Outreach and Education activities must contact Mike Downey before submitting a grant application.

Exclusions: The program does not make grants to individuals and does not support annual giving campaigns, deficit reduction, scholarships, fellowships, loans, or travel.

Award Process and Timeline: Applications are accepted on an FCFS basis. Grant awards are contingent on eligibility, date of application submission, and availability of funds.  Please allow up to ten (10) business days for the application review process.

Project Implementation and Reporting: Projects must be started and completed within the same fiscal year. Funds will be disbursed within six weeks after project completion and receipt of supporting documentation. Recipients must complete a Community Woodland Final Grant Report within two months of fund distribution.

See the Community Woodland Grant in action! 

The Climate Stewardship Incentive Program (C-SIP) 1-5

The Climate Stewardship Incentive Program provides cost-share funding for 5 major climate-informed forestry practices:

1. Harvest Layout: Clearly flag or mark (with paint) skid roads; extent of landing locations; water control structures (i.e., water bars or other water diversion structures); locations for timber mats; soil protection measures.
2. Legacy Tree Retention: Biologically old and very large trees are uncommon in our landscape. Their preservation retains carbon, increases stand complexity, and provides refuge to plant and animal species that are slow to colonize new areas. 
   The strategic retention of these legacy trees during management activities, particularly when situated near existing downed wood, snags, and other site features, provides additional ecological advantages. 
3. Tree Marking for Increasing Future Adapted Species and Structural Diversity: Marking allows specific trees to remain during a timber harvest to increase forest health, vigor, and regeneration. This practice is done in a way that supports increased structural diversity within the harvested stand. 
4. Invasive Plant Control: A changing climate allows invasive plant species to thrive and spread. Reducing their population increases the health, vigor, and diversity of desirable, native plant populations. This in turn increases the health and resilience of forests. 
5. Climate Smart BMPs: Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) dedicated to erosion control are proven techniques used to mitigate the impacts of timber harvests on water quality, site productivity, and soil health. The efficacy of BMPs is most pronounced when planned before, and implemented during, harvesting activities. Long-term effectiveness depends on monitoring, vigilant inspection, and adequate maintenance throughout the entirety of the timber harvest and at harvest closeout.

Each practice may have more than one component, and landowners may apply for more than one practice as related to their climate-forward goals.

The C-SIP is a branch of the Healey Administration’s Forests as Climate Solutions Initiative, the focus of which is  soil protection, carbon retention and increasing forest adaptive capacity when pursuing forest management activities.

Application process: 

• Contact your private consulting forester. If you need to find one, use our Licensed Forester Directory. 
• With the assistance of a private consulting forester, think about and outline your land’s needs and priorities. 
• Download a C-SIP application from the DCR Service Forestry website (see below).
•  Fill out required and relevant sections in the C-SIP application. 
• Submit your application to DCR Service Forestry. 

Application Applications must be submitted via email to [e-mail] 

Paper applications can be mailed to: 

MA Forest Stewardship Program 
355 West Boylston Street 
Clinton, MA 01510

Please contact Sara Wisner, Program Analyst at [e-mail] for more information.