Browse Ambrook’s collection of funding programs by Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF)

Consult your local DOF forester (Find a DOF Forester).

Deadline text on the page: DOF financial assistance table: Continuous Sign-up.

General office

Forest Management program

Justin Barnes

Forest Management Coordinator (statewide coordinator for landowner assistance programs including cost-share assistance and reforestation)

Cost-share for landowners who plant three diminished native species on suitable sites: American (or hybrid) chestnut, red spruce and shortleaf pine. Eligible expenses include site preparation, planting and seedling protection, plus maintenance of diminished species and hardwood plantings up to 5 years old. DOF pays 90% of project cost up to per-acre rates.



- Private non-industrial forest landowners may apply, including individuals, corporations, LLCs, non-profit organizations and local governments
- Landowners who also own primary wood processing facilities are not eligible
- Must meet with a DOF forester first to establish objectives, conduct a site assessment and create a management plan recommending eligible species
- Some species are only suitable in specific counties or on specific sites; minimum and maximum planting sizes apply

A payment that requires some percentage of matching contributions by the recipient.

Cost Share

90% of total project cost, not to exceed per-acre practice rates; plantings up to 5 years old eligible for maintenance cost-share unless receiving maintenance assistance from another source.

Published amounts: Cost share is 90% of the total project cost, not to exceed the per acre rate for each practice. Rates (FT0078, April 2026): American Chestnut Establishment $3,500 per acre (minimum 0.5 acre, maximum 1 acre); Red Spruce Establishment $900 per acre (minimum 0.5 acre); Shortleaf Pine Establishment $225 per acre (minimum 1 acre); Planting Maintenance $900 per acre (minimum 0.5 acre).

Consult your local DOF forester (Find a DOF Forester); if recommended practices are eligible for incentives, assistance with the application process can also be provided.

Deadline text on the page: DOF financial assistance table: Continuous Sign-up. Practices must be completed by May 31 so they can be verified and payments processed before the end of Virginia’s fiscal year June 30.

GAP cost-share targets pine stands and some mixed pine-hardwood stands for improvement practices recommended by a forestry professional, designed to increase growth rate or carbon sequestration, improve forest health or improve wildlife habitat. DOF pays 70% of project cost up to per-acre practice rates. Private non-industrial forest landowners, nonprofits and local governments may apply.



- Private non-industrial forest landowners may apply, including individuals, corporations, LLCs, non-profit organizations and local governments
- Landowners who also own primary wood processing facilities are not eligible
- Before applying, meet with a DOF or trained consulting forester to establish objectives, conduct a site assessment and create a management plan recommending eligible practices
- Minimum 5 acres of forestland (invasive plant control from 1 acre); maximum 100 acres per tract per year and per landowner per year; cannot be combined with another cost share for the same practice on the same acre

70% of total project cost, not to exceed per-acre practice rates; practices completed by May 31 for payment within the June 30 fiscal year.

Published amounts: Cost share is 70% of the total project cost, not to exceed the per acre rate for each practice. Rates (FT0077, April 2026): Crop Tree Release $133 per acre; Pre-Commercial Thinning $175 per acre; Midstory Management $175 per acre; Cull Tree Control $175 per acre; Other Timber Stand Improvement $140 per acre; Prescribed Burning (including firelines) $62 per acre; Prescribed Burn Preparation $70 per acre; Invasive Plant Control $210 per acre; Stand Marking $70 per acre. From 5 acres of forestland up to 100 acres per tract per year and up to 100 acres per landowner per year.

Consult your local DOF forester (Find a DOF Forester), who can help with the application.

Deadline text on the page: DOF financial assistance table: Continuous Sign-up; Approvals April-May Annually. Practices must be completed by May 31 so they can be verified and payments processed before the end of Virginia’s fiscal year June 30.

Joe Rossetti

Hardwood Initiative Coordinator

Jesse Duff-Woodruff

Forest Health & Management Project Coordinator (coordinates Forest Health and Hardwood Initiative cost-share programs)

Cost-share for hardwood management practices recommended by a forestry professional, such as crop tree release, pre-commercial thinning, midstory management, cull tree control, prescribed burning, invasive plant control and stand marking. DOF pays 90% of project cost up to a per-acre rate for each practice. Any private forest landowner may apply after meeting with a DOF or trained consulting forester.



- Any private forest landowner may apply, including individuals, corporations, limited liability corporations (LLCs) and non-profit organizations
- Before applying, meet with a forestry professional (DOF or a trained consulting forester) to establish objectives, conduct a site assessment and create a management plan recommending eligible practices
- Minimum 5 acres of forestland (invasive plant control may be cost-shared on as little as 1 acre); maximum 100 acres per tract per year and 100 acres per landowner per year
- Cannot be combined with another cost share for the same practice on the same acre

90% of total project cost, not to exceed per-acre practice rates; practices must be completed by May 31 for payment within the June 30 fiscal year.

Published amounts: Cost-share is 90% of the total project cost, not to exceed the per acre rate for each practice. Rates (FT0071, April 2026): Crop Tree Release $171 per acre; Pre-Commercial Thinning $225 per acre; Midstory Management $225 per acre; Cull Tree Control $225 per acre; Other Timber Stand Improvement $180 per acre; Prescribed Burning (incl. firelines) $80 per acre; Prescribed Burn Prep $90 per acre; Invasive Plant Control $270 per acre; Stand Marking $90 per acre. Available from 5 acres of forestland up to 100 acres per tract per year and 100 acres per landowner per year.

Complete Form 6.7 Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Cost-Share Application (plus Form 3.10 if multiple landowners) and apply by contacting your local DOF forester.

Deadline text on the page: DOF financial assistance table: Continuous Sign-up.

Forest Health program

Lori Chamberlin

Forest Health Program Manager

Reimburses Virginia landowners and organizations for treating eastern or Carolina hemlock trees against the non-native hemlock woolly adelgid using approved imidacloprid or dinotefuran treatments. Payments cover up to 100% of the first $500 of costs, with a $1,500 cap per landowner or organization. Trees must be assessed by a DOF forester before enrollment.



- Eligible applicants include Virginia landowners and organizations (e.g., municipalities, nonprofits, educational institutions and homeowner associations)
- Eligible treatments: trunk injection of an imidacloprid product; soil drench or soil injection of an imidacloprid or dinotefuran product; basal bark spray of an imidacloprid or dinotefuran product
- All applications must be conducted by a Certified Pesticide Applicator in good standing with VDACS, following the EPA-approved label
- All trees must be assessed by a DOF forester prior to enrollment

Reimbursement: 100% of direct costs up to $500; above $500, the greater of $500 or 50% of direct costs; maximum $1,500 per organization or landowner.

Published amounts: Cost-share payment is a reimbursement up to 100% of direct project costs up to $500. If the sum of project costs is over $500, then cost-share payment will be $500 OR 50% of direct project costs, whichever is higher. Cost-share payment may not exceed $1,500 per organization or landowner.

Apply by contacting your local DOF forester (Find a DOF Forester) and submitting Form 6.02 (Pre-Commercial Thinning) or Form 6.01 (Longleaf Pine Restoration) with a State W-9 and tract map; certify completion on Form 3.09.

Deadline text on the page: DOF financial assistance table: Continuous Sign-up. Projects must be completed within 12 months from the date of approval by the Forest Health Budget Manager (Forms 6.01/6.02).

Cost-share for Virginia landowners to reduce southern pine beetle risk: pre-commercial thinning of pine stands and longleaf pine restoration (site preparation, planting and post-planting treatments) on appropriate sites. DOF pays 70% (thinning) or 90% (longleaf) of direct costs up to per-acre caps, with a $12,000 per-federal-fiscal-year cap per landowner. Apply through the local DOF forester.



- Pre-Commercial Thinning Program: open to Virginia landowners to encourage thinning pine stands
- Longleaf Pine Restoration Program: open to Virginia landowners who have a site appropriate for successful longleaf pine establishment, growth and survival with proper management
- A W-9 (Taxpayer ID) and a tract map are required with the application

Refund of incentive payments plus a 10% penalty if the project is not completed as prescribed or if residual trees / planted seedlings are intentionally removed or destroyed within ten (10) years, except for a DOF-approved commercial thinning or final harvest; landowner provides receipts or contractor's statement of cost; complete within 12 months of approval (6-month extension via Form 3.11).

Published amounts: Pre-Commercial Thinning: Assistance shall be 70% of direct project costs, not to exceed $175 per acre for pre-commercial pine thinning (Form 6.02). Longleaf Pine Restoration: Assistance shall be 90% of direct project costs, not to exceed $360 per acre, for longleaf pine restoration, which may include costs associated with site preparation, planting or post-planting treatments within the first five years of plantation establishment (Form 6.01). Cost-share payments shall not exceed $12,000 per federal fiscal year (10/01-09/30) per landowner (tax identification entity).

Apply by contacting your local DOF forester (Find a DOF Forester). Applications are generally accepted starting in May until funds are committed.

Deadline text on the page: Applications are generally accepted starting in May until funds are committed. (Program year is July 1 – June 30 per FT0020; DOF financial assistance table: Continuous Sign-up, Approvals April - May.)

Headquarters Main Office

Virginia's Reforestation of Timberlands (RT) Program reimburses landowners for a portion of the cost of getting pines started: site preparation, tree planting and release treatments on cutover land or worn-out fields. It has run for more than 50 years and is funded by the Virginia Forest Products Tax with matching state General Fund dollars. Landowners apply through their local DOF forester.



- Private landowners (the DOF program table also lists forest industry / companies) with harvested forestland, pine plantations or open land in Virginia
- Practices follow the prescription recommended by a DOF forester
- Assistance shall not exceed 100 acres per tract, 100 acres per program year per landowner (tax identification entity), and 75% of the total cost of all projects

Reimbursement at the published per-acre rates, capped at 75% of total project cost; 100-acre caps per tract and per landowner per program year (July 1 – June 30).

Published amounts: 2026-2027 program year rates (FT0020, April 2026): Tree Planting – Loblolly Pine $40 per acre; Tree Planting – Other Pine $75 per acre; Site Preparation – Herbicide (pine & hardwood control) $70 per acre; Site Preparation – Herbicide (hardwood control) $50 per acre; Site Preparation – Herbicide (white pine only) $80 per acre; Site Preparation – Mechanical $65 per acre; Site Preparation – Prescribed Burning $35 per acre; Release (all pines except white pine) $30 per acre; Release (white pine only) $75 per acre. Assistance shall not exceed 100 acres per tract; 100 acres per program year (July 1 – June 30) per landowner (tax identification entity), and 75% of the total cost of all projects.

Provide to the local DOF forester: completed Application for the Riparian Forest Buffer Tax Credit (Form 18.8), application fee, proof of land ownership (and ownership percentages if multiple owners), a copy or proof of a DOF-approved Forest Stewardship Management Plan, the value of timber retained in the buffer (cruise or prorated average per-acre value), a description and map of the buffer(s). DOF provides the final harvest inspection.

Deadline text on the page: DOF financial assistance table: Continuous Sign-up. The applicant’s harvesting operation must be complete to qualify; credit applies to the tax year in which the harvest was completed.

Water Quality / Timber Harvesting program

Sandy Mills

Fire and Water Quality Programs Coordinator (supports the Riparian Buffer Tax Credit program)

A Virginia state tax credit for landowners who harvest timber and leave a forested streamside buffer. The credit equals 25% of the value of timber retained in the buffer, up to $17,500 in the tax year the harvest is completed, with unused credit carried forward up to five years. Buffers must be 35–300 feet wide and keep at least 50% crown cover.



- Individuals, partnerships, S-corporations, family partnerships, grantors, trusts, and limited liability corporations; must be a Virginia tax-paying landowner
- The tract must be at least 10 acres in size (including contained buffers)
- The harvesting operation must be complete to qualify
- Buffer must be at least 35 feet wide and no greater than 300 feet wide, with at least 50% of the crown cover remaining after harvest; all waterways of the Commonwealth are eligible

A reduction or waiving of fees for meeting a certain criteria.

Discount

25% of retained-timber value, maximum $17,500 per tax year; 5-year carryover; application fee required.

Published amounts: The amount of the credit is equal to 25% of the value of the timber retained as a buffer up to a maximum of $17,500 in the tax year in which the harvesting operation is completed. Any unused portion of the tax credit may be carried over for up to five additional years.

Complete the Open-Space Easement Application (Form 10.01) and e-mail it to the Office of Working Lands Preservation (conservation@DOF.virginia.gov). Donated easements: due September 1 (selection by September 15). Grant-funded easements: due June 1.

Deadline text on the page: For “donated easements”, where 100% of the value of the easement will be donated by the landowner to the Commonwealth, applications are due by September 1. For “grant-funded easements” ... applications are due June 1.

Forestland Conservation / Working Lands Preservation

Amanda Scheps

Working Lands Preservation Program Manager (negotiation, development and closing of open-space easements)

Genny Harris

Working Lands Conservation Specialist (open-space easement development, Central region)

DOF accepts and holds perpetual open-space (conservation) easements on working farms and managed forests, with terms written to keep forestland intact and managed for agricultural and timber products. Most landowners donate the easement and may qualify for federal and Virginia state tax benefits; in some cases DOF helps pursue grant funding to purchase part of the easement value. Applications are ranked annually by the Office of Working Lands Preservation.



- Working farms and larger blocks of managed forest where the threat of development to non-agricultural uses is significant
- Additional consideration: soil and forest quality, property size, an implemented resource management plan, and confidence in the property boundary
- Selected projects need a 60-year title search, satisfactory title commitment, plats/legal descriptions (grant-funded: survey less than 20 years old)

Payment per unit of land to do or avoid certain practices related to land management.

Easement

Perpetual easement; DOF easement process and legal review take four to six months once title and survey items are received.

Published amounts: No direct payment for donated easements (tax benefits: federal tax donation and Virginia state tax credit); for grant-funded easements, DOF can work with landowners to pursue competitive grant funding to compensate landowners for a portion of the easement’s value.

Complete Form 6.5 Emerald Ash Borer Program Cost-Share Application (plus Form 3.10 if multiple landowners) and apply by contacting your local DOF forester during the annual application period.

Deadline text on the page: Program page: 'The 2026 application period has closed. Check back for future program dates.' DOF financial assistance table: April 20 - June 18, 2026.

Helps Virginia landowners and organizations pay for protecting ash trees from the emerald ash borer with emamectin benzoate stem injections, covering up to 70% of treatment costs. Landowner payments are capped at $2,000 ($10,000 for organizations) and $10.50 per inch of trunk diameter. The 2026 application window (April 20 – June 18) has closed; DOF says to check back for future dates.



- Eligible applicants include Virginia landowners and organizations (e.g., municipalities, nonprofits, educational institutions and homeowner associations)
- Eligible trees: green, white, black, blue, pumpkin or Carolina ash, 12 inches diameter at breast height (DBH) or greater
- No more than 30% crown loss (at least 70% live crown)
- All trees must be assessed by a DOF forester prior to enrollment

Up to 70% of treatment costs; not to exceed $10.50 per inch DBH, $2,000 per landowner or $10,000 per organization.

Published amounts: Offset up to 70% of costs for treatment of ash trees through stem injections with emamectin benzoate insecticide. Payment may not exceed $10.50 per inch diameter at breast height or $2,000 in cost-share payments to landowners or $10,000 in cost-share payments per organization.

Apply annually via DOF's System Access Portal for Forestry Grants (https://vaforestry.webgrantscloud.com/index.do); awarded localities enter an Intergovernmental Agreement with DOF and submit claims for reimbursement (Form 10.08).

Deadline text on the page: A total of $437,500 has been appropriated for the FY 2026 allocation round, which will open on October 1, 2025, and close on October 30, 2025. Awards have a target announcement date of December 1, 2025. (FY 2027 round not yet posted as of 2026-09-24.)

Virginia's Farmland and&#x2004;Forestland Preservation Fund gives state matching money to counties and cities with certified Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) programs, which pay farm and forest owners to place permanent conservation easements on their land. You sell the easement to your locality's PDR program; the locality applies to the Department of Forestry for the state match each fall and is reimbursed after the easement deed is recorded. Only six localities currently have active funded PDR programs.



Virginia's Farmland and Forestland Preservation Fund gives state matching money to counties and cities with certified Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) programs, which pay farm and forest owners to place permanent conservation easements on their land. You sell the easement to your locality's PDR program; the locality applies to the Department of Forestry for the state match each fall and is reimbursed after the easement deed is recorded. Only six localities currently have active funded PDR programs.

- Localities (counties/cities) with certified local purchase of development rights programs
- Deed template reviewed in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General

A lump sum of money for a specific purpose that does not need to be paid back.

Grant

State match reimbursed upon recordation of the easement deed; IGA defines responsibilities.

Published amounts: Matching state grants to certified local PDR programs; $437,500 appropriated for the FY 2026 allocation round; reimbursement upon recordation of a deed evidencing the purchase of an agricultural conservation easement.

Choose a Project Advocate; submit the FLP Preliminary Project Feedback Form (10.09) to the DOF FLP coordinator first, then the proposal package: Form 10.04 (conservation easement) or 10.05 (fee simple sale), Form 10.06 project proposal, and GIS-quality maps, per the current DOF Forest Legacy Request for Proposals.

Deadline text on the page: Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2028 Application Cycle — Deadline for Proposal Package Submission: Thursday, July 9, 2026, by 5:00 p.m. (RFP summary, 05/28/2026). Each year, the USDA Forest Service opens a competitive grant round and DOF initiates a statewide request for project proposals.

Justin Altice

Forest Legacy Program Coordinator

Virginia's instance of the federal Forest Legacy Program: DOF solicits landowner proposals each year and advances the strongest to the USDA Forest Service national competition. Awarded funds pay up to 75% of the appraised value to buy a conservation easement (or fee title) on forestland threatened with conversion, with a 25% match from the landowner or other sources. Landowners work with a self-chosen Project Advocate (often a land trust).



- Land must be located wholly or partially within Virginia's designated Forest Legacy Area
- Each tract must be at least 100 acres and at least 75% forested
- Title clear of liens/encumbrances; existing mortgage holders must be willing to subordinate (easement)
- Landowner must be willing to pay a portion (usually 25% at minimum) of the due diligence costs
- A Forest Stewardship Management Plan must be developed or updated for the tract

Up to 75% federal share of appraised value; 25% match required; multi-year state and federal review timeline; national ranking by USDA Forest Service with awards anticipated by late Spring 2027 for the FY2028 cycle.

Published amounts: FLP funding covers up to 75% of the appraised value for the purchase of a conservation easement or fee simple acquisitions. The required 25% matching contribution can be from private (landowner) or public sources. Additional funding may also be awarded to cover up to 75% of the costs required for real estate due diligence activities (title, survey, etc.).

List of Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) Funding Opportunities