Voglio sapere a riguardo di…

44688

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 154 / Friday, August 13, 2021 / Notices
and semiannual project performance reports shall be required and submitted to the appropriate grant officer.
Technical assistance funds, totaling not more than 10 percent of all funds, may be allocated to State Foresters and equivalent officials of the Indian tribe.
Technical assistance, if provided, will be awarded at the time of the grant.
Applicants shall work with State Foresters and equivalent officials of the Indian Tribe to determine technical assistance needs and include the technical assistance request in the project budget.
As funding allows, applications submitted through this request may be funded in future years, subject to the availability of funds and the continued feasibility and viability of the project.

jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES

3. Application Information Application submission. All local governments and qualified nonprofit organizations applications must be submitted to the State Forester where the property is located by January 10th, 2022. All Tribal applications must be submitted to the equivalent Tribal officials by January 10th, 2022.
Applications may be submitted either electronically or hardcopy to the appropriate official. The State Foresters contact information may be found at:
https www.stateforesters.org/who-weare/our-membership/.
All applicants must also send an email to SM.FS.CFP@usda.gov to confirm an application has been submitted to the State Forester or equivalent Tribal official for funding consideration.
All State Foresters and Tribal government officials must forward applications to the Forest Service by February 7th, 2022.
4. Application Requirements The following section outlines grant application requirements:
a. The application can be no more than eight pages long, plus no more than two maps eight and half inches by eleven inches in size.
b. Documentation verifying that the applicant is an eligible entity and that the land proposed for acquisition is eligible see 230.2 of the final rule.
c. Applications must include the following, regarding the property proposed for acquisition:
1 A description of the property, including acreage and county location;
2 A description of current land uses, including improvements;
3 A description of forest type and vegetative cover;
4 A map of sufficient scale to show the location of the property in relation
VerDate Sep<11>2014

17:06 Aug 12, 2021

Jkt 253001

to roads and other improvements as well as parks, refuges, green/open space, urban natural areas, or other protected lands in the vicinity;
5 A description of applicable zoning and other land use regulations affecting the property;
6 A description of the type of community being served and the extent of community benefits, including to underserved communities see Project Selection Criteria;
7 A description of relationship of the property within and its contributions to landscape conservation initiatives, as well as any environmental justice initiatives, if applicable; and 8 A description of any threats of conversion to non-forest uses, including any encumbrances on the property that prevent conversion to non-forest uses.
d. Information regarding the proposed establishment of a community forest, including:
1 A description of the benefiting community, including demographics, availability of and access to green spaces and other vulnerabilities including health, economic, environmental and climate impacts faced by the community and a description of the associated benefits;
2 A description of community involvement, including underrepresented communities, to-date in the planning of the community forest acquisition, and the participation of different community groups anticipated in long-term management;
3 An identification of persons and organizations that support the project, a description of how they represent the greater population of the community benefiting from the establishment and management of the community forest, their specific role in establishing and managing the community forest; and e. Information regarding the proposed land acquisition, including:
1 A proposed project budget not exceeding $600,000 and technical assistance needs as coordinated with the State Forester or equivalent Tribal government official section 230.6 of the final program rule;
2 The status of due diligence, including signed option or purchase and sale agreement, title search, minerals determination, and appraisal;
3 Description and status of cost share secure, pending, commitment letter, etc. section 230.6 of the final rule;
4 The status of negotiations with participating landowners including purchase options, contracts, and other terms and conditions of sale;

PO 00000

Frm 00005

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

5 The proposed timeline for completing the acquisition and establishing the community forest; and;
6 Long term management costs and funding sources.
f. Applications must comply with the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards also referred to as the Omni Circular 2 CFR
part 200.
In order to assist applicants, a Community Forest Road Map can be found on the CFP website at https
www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/
private-land/community-forest/
program. The application guidance is located at https www.fs.usda.gov/sites/
default/files/application-guidancerevised.pdf and the scoring guidance is at https www.fs.usda.gov/sites/default/
files/ScoringGuidance-revised.pdf.
5. Forest Services Project Selection Criteria a. Using the criteria described below, to the extent practicable, the Forest Service will give priority to applications that maximize the delivery of community benefits, as defined in the final rule see section 230.2 of the final rule; and b. The Forest Service will evaluate all applications received by the State Foresters or equivalent Tribal government officials and award grants based on the following criteria:
1 Type and extent of community benefits provided, including to underserved communities. Community benefits are defined in the final program rule as:
i Economic benefits, such as timber and non-timber products resulting from sustainable forest management, recreation, and tourism;
ii Environmental benefits, including clean air and water, stormwater management, wildlife habitat, and cultural resources.
iii Benefits from forest-based experiential learning, including K12
conservation education programs;
vocational education programs in disciplines such as forestry and environmental biology; and environmental education through individual study or voluntary participation in programs offered by organizations such as 4H, Boy or Girl Scouts, Master Gardeners, etc.;
iv Benefits from serving as replicable models of effective forest stewardship for private landowners; and v Recreational benefits such as hiking, hunting, and fishing secured through public access.
2 Extent and nature of community engagement, including participation by
E:FRFM13AUN1.SGM

13AUN1