Congressman Bishop Announces $20 MILLION In Grants to Help Georgia Longleaf Pine Forests

 WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) announced that the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is awarding $20 million for projects that will restore and protect longleaf pine forests in Georgia.

 “Longleaf pine forests are part of Georgia’s natural heritage, and restoring them means healthier working lands, stronger wildlife habitat, cleaner water, and a more resilient rural economy for the families who live and work here,” said Congressman Bishop. “Georgia’s forest industry supports more than 140,000 jobs and contributes billions of dollars to the state’s economy, so investments like these are not just about conservation, they are also about protecting livelihoods, communities, and a way of life. This funding will help landowners, farmers, and foresters voluntarily care for their land while keeping it productive for generations to come.”

 The grants are part of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s 2026 Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund, a public-private partnership supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and private partners. The grants will fund 25 projects covering Georgia and surrounding states. These projects are expected to establish more than 30,000 acres of new longleaf pine and improve another 350,000 acres through prescribed burning, private landowner assistance, wildlife habitat improvements, seedling production, and at-risk species recovery. In Georgia, this work is especially important as communities continue recovering from Hurricane Helene, which damaged forestland across the state and increased the need for replanting, forest health treatments, and responsible fuel-load reduction to help protect landowners, forestry businesses, and nearby communities.

 The longleaf pine ecosystem is one of the most biologically diverse forest systems in North America. The Natural Resources Conservation Service has designated the Longleaf Pine Range as one of the country’s Critical Conservation Areas because of degraded plant conditions, inadequate habitat, and water quality degradation. Restoring and maintaining these forests can help Georgia communities by protecting water resources, improving wildlife habitat, supporting outdoor recreation, strengthening working forest markets, and making forests more resilient after major storms.

 The Trump Administration’s recent Forest Service budget requests have proposed eliminating funding for the State, Private, and Tribal Forestry account, which helps states, tribes, communities, and private landowners sustain forests and grasslands, protect communities from wildland fire, and restore fire-adapted ecosystems. These programs support the kind of technical assistance, forest health work, landowner outreach, prescribed fire support, wildfire planning, and rural fire capacity that are needed after major storms such as Hurricane Helene. Cutting them would make it harder for landowners and rural communities to replant damaged forestland, reduce wildfire risks, protect forestry businesses, and carry out the same locally led conservation work supported by these grants.

 As Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Congressman Bishop has long championed the conservation, forestry, and working lands programs that help farmers and rural communities care for their land while keeping it productive. He will continue working to protect the federal investments and partnerships that support Georgia landowners, strengthen rural economies, conserve wildlife habitat, and preserve working forests for future generations.

 More information about the Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund and the 2026 grant slate is available through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.