The outgoing Biden administration supports the US timber processing industry through the Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program (TPEP), funded by the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development and Forest Service. Announced by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the program supports the processing and utilization of wood products from National Forest System lands to improve forest health and reduce the risk posed by wildfires, insects, and disease and their detrimental impacts their detrimental impact on communities and critical infrastructure.
“Rural America is the backbone of our country, providing the everyday essentials we all depend on,” according to Secretary Vilsack. “Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA Rural Development is partnering with the Forest Service to support timber industry innovations that improve forest health and reduce wildfire threats while creating good-paying jobs for people in rural, forest-dependent communities.”
Through TPEP, USDA Rural Development and the Forest Service will guarantee $220 million in loans to borrowers to establish, reopen, retrofit, expand, or improve wood processing facilities, sawmills, and paper mills using trees harvested from federal or Tribal lands. The program is designed to manage up to 20 million acres of national forests managed by the USDA Forest Service and complement the Forest Service’s 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy.
USDA Rural Development has started accepting applications from Boxing Day (December 26, 2024), with a maximum loan amount of $25 million. USDA encourages applicants to use the TPEP Dashboard to find areas the Forest Service has identified as high or very high-priority regions to address the risk of wildfires, insect infestations, or diseases that have caused or have the potential to cause significant damage. Applicants may learn more during the upcoming TPEP webinar, which is scheduled for January 6, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. ET.
USDA encourages applicants to consider projects that will advance the following key priorities:
- Reducing climate pollution and increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities;
- Ensuring all rural residents have equitable access to USDA Rural Development programs and benefits from Rural Development-funded projects; and
- Assisting rural communities in recovering economically through more and better market opportunities and improved infrastructure.
Applications must be submitted electronically using Grants.gov and will be accepted until funds are expended.
