Five North Country projects awarded nearly $3 million in forestry grants
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation awarded nearly $3 million to five North Country projects through its Advancing Forest Markets initiative.
By Caleb Mercer, ClickNNY North Country Desk
Five projects in the North Country will receive nearly $3 million through New York’s Advancing Forest Markets initiative, part of $45 million awarded by the Department of Environmental Conservation to 44 projects statewide.
The program supports reforestation, sustainable forest management and forest-products businesses. The DEC said the funded projects are expected to collect more than 5 million native seeds, grow more than 1 million locally adapted seedlings, train more than 400 people and create more than 56 full-time green jobs.
North Country awards
The awards total about $2.97 million and are concentrated in Clinton, Essex and Franklin counties. The largest is $2,000,036 for the Ausable Freshwater Center in Essex County to expand seedling production, seed procurement, sales and distribution.
In Clinton County, KS Nursery received $250,000, Mace Chasm Farm received $105,000 and Weathered Tree LLC received $236,000. The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe received $382,737 in Franklin County for its Native Plant Nursery, which serves restoration work in Akwesasne.
The Ausable Freshwater Center’s nursery is based at the privately owned Uihlein Farm and focuses on native plants for stream restoration. The nursery’s website says it has hosted school groups and operated public tree sales.
Statewide forestry initiative
The initiative was launched in 2026 under a U.S. Department of Agriculture agreement and is tied to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s goal of planting 25 million trees in New York by 2033. The first round offered awards ranging from $100,000 to $12 million.
The DEC announced the program on Arbor Day in April 2026 after previewing it in March. Applications were due Aug. 5. The awards support work intended to strengthen supplies of native seeds and trees while expanding businesses connected to forest products.
For residents and organizations in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties, Fort Drum, the Thousand Islands and Tug Hill, the grants may matter through broader access to locally adapted trees and native plants, as well as restoration and forestry work across the region.
Funded projects must be completed by Jan. 15, 2028, within New York. Payments will be made after each project’s contract with the DEC is fully executed. Program information is available through the DEC’s Advancing Forest Markets page. Questions may be directed to the DEC Division of Lands and Forests at 518-402-9405.
Reported by ClickNNY and reviewed by an editor before publication.
More from ClickNNY
Guides and features from across the North Country.
ClickNNY Special Report · Technology
The Good. The Bad. The Rogue.
AI agents are here, working for us, being used against us and, it appears, sometimes doing what nobody told them to. What it means for North Country jobs, money and privacy, and what is still unanswered.
ClickNNY Guide · Community
Halloween poisoning hazards in the North Country: what parents should know
The Upstate New York Poison Center advises families to secure medicines, cannabis, alcohol, batteries and Halloween products, and to call its free 24/7 helpline at 1-800-222-1222 after a possible poisoning.
ClickNNY Special Report · Road Safety
Sharing the Road, Risking Their Lives
Four people died in two buggy crashes in New York in less than two weeks this fall, both in broad daylight. What drivers, Amish families and the officials who run our roads each owe the next family on the road.