Overview: 2025-2026 Firewood Bank Assistance Program

Application Overview

A total of 59 applications were submitted, of which 43 were approved. The average submitted budget request was $37,384, while the average approved grant amount was $22,647. Twenty three programs (54%) were renewals and 20 programs (46%) were new to the Firewood Bank Assistance Program. Grantees distributed an average of 223.7 cords per year, with a range from 20 to 1,500 cords. Grantees served an average of 197.7 homes per year.

Firewood Banks Funded in the 2025-2026 Grant Cycle by USFS Geographic Regions. (Map layer source.)

Program Types and Longevity

Approved grantees represented a range of organizational structures: Tribal: 21 (49%) which includes tribes, non-profits, and businesses, Non-profit organizations or mutual aid programs: 13 (30%), Non-profit, faith-based organizations: 6 (14%), Businesses: 2 (5%), and Local or state government: 1 (2%). On average grantees have distributed firewood for 9 years, with experience ranging from start-up programs to an organization with 46 years of distribution history.

Volume of Federally Sourced Firewood

In year four, grantees planned to source an average of 226.1 cords per year from federally managed lands. Overall, about 77% of grantees planned to source 25% or more of their firewood from federally managed lands as a result of the grant. More than a third (35%) sourced more wood this year than they distribute annually, allowing them to build a seasoned wood supply chain for the following year. Seven firewood banks plan to distribute only federally sourced wood during the grant year.

Types and Sources of Federal Land

Overall, firewood bank programs harvested firewood from 45 federally managed forests. Most grantees (81%) sourced wood from National Forests while 7% sourced firewood from BLM lands. Two programs (5%) sourced firewood from both BLM and National Forest lands. One program sourced from National Forest lands and a federally owned experimental forest, one sourced solely from a federally owned experimental forest jointly managed by USDA and the University of Maine, and one program sourced from federally owned land held in trust for their tribe that overlaps with National Forest lands. Most grantees (30 programs, 70%) reported that the wood sourced from federal lands directly resulted from fire suppression work. Many firewood banks (16 programs, 37%) contracted professional loggers with federal timber sale permits to source small-diameter logs, supporting the local wood economy. While 31 programs (72%) have a history of sourcing wood from federal lands, nearly a third of 2025-26 grantees (28%) began sourcing federal wood specifically due to the grant requirement to source “some or all” of their firewood from federally managed lands.

 National Forests Used for Sourcing Wood By Firewood Bank Grantees in 2025-2026.

Major Equipment Purchases 

Eight grantees (18.6%) purchased equipment costing $10,000 or more. Five are required to file a UCC-1 form (two tribal grantees are exempt from this reporting requirement). Major equipment purchased included: Blockbuster Firewood Processor, TAJFUN Mobile Firewood Processor, Wolfe Ridge Box Wedge Log Splitter, Wolf Ridge Conveyor, Wood-Mizer Log Splitter, Wolf Ridge Processor, Wolf Ridge Splitter, and a Halverson Firewood Processor.