Community Wood Energy and Wood Innovation Program
Dept. of Agriculture – Forest Service – State and Private Forestry
Wildfire-Specific Spending: No
Wildfire Activities Funded: “Mitigation”
Authorization:
P.L. 110–234
U.S.C: 7 U.S.C. §8113
TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS (IN MIL)
FY2017 – FY2026
Description
The Community Wood Energy and Wood Innovation Program (CWEWIP) provides cost-share grants of up to 35% for installing community wood energy systems (defined as a thermal energy system that uses woody biomass and services public, private, or nonprofit facilities) or building innovative wood product facilities (defined as a plant that uses innovative technology to produce wood products or utilizes low-quality wood).Additional Program Notes & TCS Insights
Subsidies to address the lack of commercial viability of forest and wood products under the guise of reducing “hazardous fuel” might create perverse incentives that undercut forest health objectives and can increase the risk of fire. Where timber and other forest products harvest can take place is often determined by road access, commercial viability, and other local conditions that may misalign with wildfire spatial patterns or even undermine overall forest health.Appropriations
| Regular | Supplemental | IIJA | IRA | |
| FY2015 | — | — | — | — |
| FY2016 | — | — | — | — |
| FY2017 | — | — | — | — |
| FY2018 | — | — | — | — |
| FY2019 | Not Available | — | — | — |
| FY2020 | Not Available | — | — | — |
| FY2021 | Not Available | — | — | — |
| FY2022 | 12,000,000 | — | 12000000 | — |
| FY2023 | 15,000,000 | — | 12000000 | |
| FY2024 | 15,000,000 | — | 12000000 | |
| FY2025 | Not Available | 12000000 | ||
| FY2026 | Not Available | 12000000 |
Last Updated: March 20, 2026
Received Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Funding: Yes – Existing
Received Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Funding: No
Appropriations Notes
The Community Wood program is funded through the National Forest System Hazardous Fuels budget line item. Specific appropriations for the Community Wood Program are only known when specified in the text of appropriations bills, as has been the case in recent years, i.e. FY2022-2024. Appropriations were first authorized in FY2019. The USFS has awarded grants under the Community Wood program 2020-2024.
The FY2020 appropriations bill made up to $15,000,000 available to “make grants, using any authorities available to the Forest Service under the ‘‘State and Private Forestry’’ appropriation, for the purpose of creating incentives for increased use of biomass from National Forest System lands.” The FY2021 appropriations bill made up to $12,454,000 available “to make grants, using any authorities available to the Forest Service under the ‘‘State and Private Forestry’’ appropriation, for the purpose of creating incentives for increased use of biomass from National Forest System lands.” These may have been allocated in part to the Community Wood Energy and Wood Innovation Program but are not included in this database.
Known outlays for the Wood Innovations Program are listed below:
2020: $1.5 million
2021: $2.1 million
2022: $16.4 million
2023: $18.1 million
2024: $14.9 million