State And Private Forestry

Intermountain and Northern Regions

Fuels for Schools     

What is Fuels for Schools?

In partnership with the Bitter Root Resource Conservation and Development Program and the 5 State Foresters in Idaho, North Dakota, Montana, Nevada, and Utah, we have devoted a portion of the National Fire Plan Economic Action Program funding to help rural school districts convert to biomass heat.

What does Fuels for Schools do?

Using technology that has been well established in the eastern United States, the Fuels For Schools Program provides grant funding and technical assistance for conversions to biomass heat.  The program benefits landowners by developing small, consistent local markets for wood waste removed in hazardous fuel reduction projects. It benefits communities by replacing potentially hazardous emissions from open burning with clean burning wood fired furnaces that compare favorably to today's oil, natural gas or propane systems.  It benefits schools by lowering fixed heating costs by 50 percent.

Key Partners

• State Foresters in Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Nevada, and Utah
• Bitter Root Resource Conservation and Development Area, Inc.
• Local public school districts, school superintendents, principals, and school boards
• State , local, and private landowners implementing fire hazard reduction projects
• USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, WI
• National Forests' Districts and Forest line officers; fire and interdisciplinary team staffs

Opportunities for National Forests and Grasslands

The program addresses:

• The desire of community and neighboring landowners to treat forested acres in the wildland-urban interface
• The establishment of a commercial, sustainable-scale use for previously non-merchantable material
• The creation of new jobs in the woods and in the communities
• The opportunity to save the rural school district 50% in annual heating costs.
• The added benefits of reducing dependency on non-renewable, fossil fuels
• Much cleaner burning of materials for slash piles
• An expanded natural resource-based curriculum for students

Program Coordinator for ID, MT, NV, ND, UT

For further assistance contact David Atkins