Hawai'i Forest Legacy Grant Program

The Hawai'i Forest Legacy Grant Program aims to protect vital forest lands from development while supporting landowners in preserving their properties. This federal initiative, overseen by the State of Hawai'i Division of Forestry and Wildlife, encourages sustainable practices, safeguards endangered species, and promotes watershed health. By purchasing conservation easements, the program helps landowners manage costs without sacrificing their land's ecological and cultural value. Interested parties should consult with the program manager well ahead of the July application deadline.

NOTE: Interested parties should contact the state Program Manager several months prior to the July deadline to determine if the proposed acquisition project is eligible. State agencies will then work with applicants to submit proposals for review and ranking. After a project is approved by the state, it will then be reviewed and ranked at the national level before final approval on funding by Congress. The entire application process takes approximately two years before there is a determination on funding awards.The Forest Legacy Program is a Federal grant program that aids State’s in identifying important private forest lands that are threatened by development or fragmentation. Through the program, interested landowners are provided with alternatives to selling their land for development in order to cover costs associated with increased taxes, management of the land, among others by selling the land or a conservation easement on the property to a government organization.
Goals
The Hawaiʻi Forest Legacy Program targets forest lands as identified in the Hawaiʻi Forest Legacy Program Assessment of Needs (AON) and contribute to overall program goals, including:

• Protect Hawaiʻi’s unique and fragile environmental resources
• Encourage the protection of rare and/or endangered species
• Promote the preservation of aesthetic beauty in Hawai‘i
• Preserve watershed health and protect the sustainable yield of fresh water
• Protect working forests as economic assets for the state and counties of Hawai‘i
• Protect traditional and cultural forest practices and resources
• Protect recreational forest practices