2025
STATE OF WYOMING
25LSO-04011HB0101
HOUSE BILL NO. HB0101
Forest health grant program-3.
Sponsored by: Select Water Committee
A BILL
for
1 AN ACT relating to state forestry; creating the forest
2 health grant program; providing duties to the state
3 forester; creating an account; requiring the attorney
4 general to approve grants; requiring reports; providing a
5 sunset date; providing an appropriation; and providing for
6 an effective date.
7
8
9
10. W.S. 36-1-601 is created to read:
11
12 ARTICLE 6
13 FOREST HEALTH GRANT PROGRAM
14
15
16 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-04012HB0101
1
2 (a) There is created the forest health grant program.
3 The grant program shall be administered by the state
4 forester, who shall establish the application process and
5 any other requirements of the grant program not otherwise
6 provided by this section.
7
8 (b) Grants under the forest health grant program
9 shall pay for not more than seventy-five percent (75%) of
10 the cost of a forest health project. Any other source of
11 funds, cash or in-kind contributions may be used as
12 matching funds to cover the remainder of a project's costs
13 and the state forester may require that matching funds be
14 obligated to pay for a portion of any project. Forest
15 health projects eligible for grant funding under this
16 section shall be conducted on state, local government or
17 private land and shall be designed to accomplish one (1) or
18 more of the following:
19
20 (i) Enhancement of water yield or quality;
21
22 (ii) Reduction of the risk of catastrophic
23 wildfire damage; 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-04013HB01011
2 (iii) Increase production of forest products;
3
4 (iv) Improvement of habitat conditions for
5 wildlife and livestock;
6
7 (v) Any other project that is beneficial to
8 forest health, that is substantially beneficial to the
9 interest of the state and that has a public purpose as
10 determined by the state forester.
11
12 (c) No forest health grant shall be made without the
13 written opinion of the attorney general certifying the
14 legality of the grant and all documents connected with the
15 grant and project.
16
17 (d) There is created the forest health grant program
18 account. The account shall consist of those funds
19 designated to the account by law. Funds in the account
20 shall be used for grants authorized to be made under this
21 article. Individuals and other entities may also grant,
22 give, transfer, bequest or donate funds to the account. Any
23 funds remaining in this account at the end of any fiscal 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-04014HB0101
1 year shall not lapse or revert as provided by W.S. 9-4-207
2 but shall remain in the account and be used to implement
3 the purposes of this article. Accrued interest and other
4 earnings on unexpended funds within the forest health grant
5 program account shall be credited to the account.
6
7 (e) The state forester shall annually report to the
8 joint agriculture, state and public lands and water
9 resources interim committee not later than September 1 on
10 all grants awarded under this section including the amounts
11 of the grants and the projects the grants were authorized
12 to fund.
13
14 (f) No forest grants under this section shall be
15 approved after July 1, 2029 and any unobligated funds
16 remaining in the forest health grant program account on
17 July 1, 2029 shall:
18
19 (i) If the source of the funds were not state
20 funds, be returned to the individual or other entity that
21 granted, gave, transferred, bequeathed or donated the funds
22 pursuant to subsection (d) of this section; or
23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-04015HB01011 (ii) If the source of the funds were state
2 funds, revert to the general fund or other state fund from
3 which the funds were initially appropriated.
4
5There is appropriated three million
6 dollars ($3,000,000.00) from the general fund to the forest
7 health grant program account for purposes of implementing
8 this act and making grants authorized by this act. This
9 appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any
10 other purpose without further legislative authorization.
11 Notwithstanding W.S. 9-2-1008, 9-2-1012(e) and 9-4-
12 this appropriation shall remain in effect and not lapse or
13 revert at the end of any fiscal period except upon further
14 legislative action. It is the intent of the legislature
15 that additional funding for this purpose be included in the
16 state forester's next budget request submitted under W.S.
17 9-2-1013.
18
19This act is effective July 1, 2025
20
21 (END)