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Weed Management Area

Private Forest Grant Program (WMA-PFGP)

The WMA-PFGP assists eligible weed management groups (WMG) in addressing invasive plants, both by dealing directly with the invasives and by providing education, information and outreach to others. This is a reimbursement program that covers up to 75% of the eligible costs, 25% match is required.

Applicants should be interested in good stewardship of natural resources and meet the following requirements to be eligible for a grant under the program:

  • A Weed Management Group (WMG) is eligible for assistance under the program if it consists of 3 or more persons of which at least one person shall be a "Person Participating."
    • "Person participating" is a person who owns 500 acres or less of nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) land in Wisconsin on which a practice or portion of a practice under the grant will be implemented.
  • A "Responsible Party" must submit a W-9 for payment and tax purposes.
    • "Responsible party" may be a non-profit or for-profit organization, government entity or individual as long as the funding is used on NIPF land. The nonprofit organizations and government entities can be one of three persons participating and can apply if they are part of a WMG. A non-profit organization does not need to be 501(c)3. The "responsible party" may be changed after the grant is awarded, and before payment is received, by submitting another W-9 form.
  • A "Participation Agreement" for the WMG must be submitted and include the following information:
    • The NIPF landowner as a "person participating."
    • Contact information for the NIPF landowner.
    • The location of the NIPF land.
    • Advanced written permission by the NIPF landowner for the WMG to enter and conduct practices on NIPF land.
    • Advanced written permission by the NIPF landowner to allow WMG to share contact information with the department.

Note: If the NIPF landowners are not known at the time of application, they must be added to the Participation Agreement before the WMG conducts a practice.

 

Applicants are encouraged to contact the Forest Invasive Plant Specialist for guidance prior to completing the application. Applications will be funded on the basis of priorities, need and feasibility.

Rapid response funding

Up to 20% of the grant funds may be designated annually for the rapid response to early detection species upon discovery. Rapid response practice means a practice to control or eradicate "prohibited" invasive plants listed in s. NR40, Wis. Admin. Code and early detection species, those invasive plants new to the state or to a region of the state as determined by the department.

Applications for rapid response practices are accepted year-round. If appropriate, applications submitted for rapid response funding will receive immediate approval and grant award. As species may be detected and reported by anyone, the department will coordinate the distribution of the funding based on the species and the feasibility of control. Rapid response funding does not require match.

Eligible Cost-Sharing Practices

  • Education, information & outreach
  • Coordinating a weed management group
  • Inventory of invasive plant species occurrences
  • Control of invasive plant species that impact NIPF land
  • Monitoring
  • Miscellaneous practices pertaining to management of invasive plants that impact forests, including:
    • Reforestation and afforestation
    • Forest improvement
    • Soil and water protection and improvement
    • Wetland and riparian protection and improvement
    • Terrestrial wildlife and habitat enhancement
    • Forest historic cultural and archeological site protection
    • Endangered, threatened or rare natural resource protection, management, restoration and enhancement
  • Long term invasive plant management plan development

Eligible costs

  • Documented reasonable costs
  • Labor costs - in general, $15/hour is used for landowner, applicant or volunteer labor (if used as in-kind match)
  • Equipment and event space rental
  • Capital purchases - maximum $5,000

Ineligible costs

  • Costs incurred before a grant is awarded
  • The implementation of any practice already required or mandated by law, rule, regulation or other authority
  • A practice not approved by the department in writing
  • Costs associated with fixing, repairing or redoing a cost-shared practice damaged or lost because of poor practice implementation or inadequate protection
  • Costs associated with work on public lands
  • Costs associated with work on industrial forests
  • Costs in excess of $5,000 for equipment purchase
  • Travel - costs associated with traveling to and from the site
  • Costs associated with work on aquatic plant species
  • Costs associated with work on NIPF land without permission or agreement
  • Purchase of property and associated fees and costs
  • Costs already being paid for or reimbursed by another program
  • Costs associated with maintaining a practice the landowner has agreed to maintain under another program

For complete application and eligibility information, read the WMA-PFGP Application Instructions [PDF]

 

Applications are due April 1 and are awarded July 1, annually. Except for rapid response applications that are accepted at any time and are awarded as warranted. Grants expire 24 months after the award date.

Required documents

  • Completed application, Form 2400-141, including the signatures of 3 persons of which one must be a person participating.
  • Project narrative with the following information included:
    • Detailed description of the project, including all practices and costs being proposed, as well as the need for the project
    • The geographic area that the WMG covers - the Weed Management Area
    • An outline of anticipated report information, based on proposed practices
    • All members of the WMG, if applicable, and their affiliation(s)
    • Other sources of funding that have been sought for the same project
    • Explain anticipated sources of match for the grant
  • W-9 form completed by the responsible party
  • A Participation Agreement

Resource materials

Submit the completed application to:
Forest invasive plant specialist
Wisconsin DNR
107 Sutliff Ave.
Rhinelander, WI 54501

Reimbursement requirements

The WMG must submit the following:

  • 2400-141b Payment Request Form.
  • Proof of payment for money spent and in-kind match: invoices marked paid, canceled checks, credit card statements, volunteer time logs, etc.
  • A report documenting the project. Required elements will be detailed in the award letter.

Report requirements

The following is a list of reporting items based on each practice. This list may change at any time. The FIPC will provide more detail in the award letter.

  • Outreach/education:
    • Target audience, materials developed (provide), number of people contacted
    • Workshops/events: number of people, content, location, agendas
    • Specific outcomes
    • Future needs
  • Coordination:
    • Who is involved, kinds of organizations
    • Did you set up an LLC or nonprofit, etc.?
    • Goals and objectives for the group
    • Planned actions
    • Specific outcomes
  • Inventory:
    • Landowner information, location, contact info, coordinates?
    • Plant species of concern- abundance, distribution
    • Provide maps or location information for targeted species
    • Method of inventory (meander, high use areas, drive-by, etc.)
  • Control:
    • Landowner information, location, contact info, coordinates?
    • Plant species of concern- abundance, distribution
    • Plant species controlled
    • Acres treated
    • Type of control method(s)
    • Type of herbicide(s) and rate
    • Time(s) of year of control
    • Level of success
  • Monitoring:
    • Outcome
    • Future needs, including control, additional properties to be included in control (example: 12 properties have plant x, but can only gain access to 10)
    • Level of success of control
    • Is the goal of control being met? What is the management goal? i.e. tree regeneration, community restoration, rare species, etc.
  • Miscellaneous practices: Depends on the project narrative of proposed miscellaneous practice.
  • Management plan development: Provide the plan to FIPC.

Laws

Grant related statutes and administrative codes