The Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) will be having its fifth intake for project proposals starting on October 1, 2018. In this round of funding, the Society has $63 million on the table for deployment for projects and the FESBC team is looking forward to guiding proponents through the application process to ensure projects coming forward are aligned with FESBC’s purposes to advance environmental and resource stewardship of BC’s forests.
“Since our inception, FESBC has awarded grants for 171 projects with a combined total value of $163 million,” says Steve Kozuki, Executive Director of FESBC. “Our Society deploys grant funding to organizations like community forests, municipalities, and First Nations who implement projects focused on a variety of treatments on Provincial Crown forest lands. The work our team of forest professionals does is to help those applying for funding and guiding the process to ensure the ensuing work done across the province utilizes the best strategies. Our mandate is to ensure funding is well spent on projects that will have meaningful impact.”
FESBC was formed as a society in 2016 and in the first two years, received contributions of $235 million from the provincial government to deploy through a granting process. “The funds are granted to organizations which have a plan to advance environmental and resource stewardship of our province’s forests,” says Kozuki. “Our five purposes are preventing and mitigating the impact of wildfires, improving damaged or low value forests, improving habitat for wildlife, and/or treating forests to improve the management of greenhouse gases. This is very important work our funded partners are doing, and we’re starting to see the results.”
With $63 million available during this intake, $30 million is earmarked for Carbon Emission Reduction and $33 million for projects fulfilling the Society’s purpose to prevent and mitigate the impact of wildfires, as well as and other objectives.
“This is a dual stream intake,” says Kozuki. “The focus for Carbon Emission Reduction will select projects focused on fibre utilization which reduce greenhouse gases, for example, by utilizing low value trees instead of burning them in slash piles. This will be an open intake with funding available until dollars are depleted, anticipated to take three years. The $33 million has a deadline for proposals of November 30, 2018 and will be for Wildlife Risk Reduction and other projects. Our Board of Directors looks forward to reviewing the projects that come forward.”
The FESBC Board is comprised of a team of knowledgeable forest professionals with years of experience working on the ground within the forestry sector, in boardrooms, and at various levels of government. The Board will receive the applications and will then independently start the process of looking through each one to assess its merit and fit to fulfill multiple FESBC purposes. It’s a tremendous amount of work that FESBC Board Chair, Wayne Clogg, and his team are ready to undertake.
“All projects put forward by proponents are developed in collaboration with the Land Manager from the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development,” says Clogg. “Our job is to ensure the project is on Provincial Crown land, aligns with FESBC’s purposes, and is consistent with the priorities of the Land Manager. We don’t pick and choose projects based on geographic region or on the organization putting the project forward. It’s imperative we use the dollars allocated by the Province at this time to fund the projects providing the best benefits in terms of environmental and resource stewardship of B.C. forests. It is our hope that decisions will be made for sustained funding replenishments to the Society for future intakes because there is a lot of good work yet to do.”
For those proponents looking to apply, Kozuki is inviting them to make contact directly with the Society.
“Our team is here to assist interested proponents,” says Kozuki. “We invite people to call us at 1.877.225.2010 or email office@fesbc.ca and our team can help confirm the project’s eligibility and walk them through the process. We want projects to have success and receive funding if they are in alignment with our purposes.”
An online Application Guide can be found on the FESBC website at www.fesbc.ca. It will provide information on application deadlines, project parameters, and available funding. There is no set deadline for the Carbon Emission Reduction projects, but there is a deadline of November 30, 2018 for any projects for Wildfire Risk Reduction and other FESBC purposes.
