USDA Approves Emergency Forest Restoration Assistance for Hawaii & Honolulu Counties

Honolulu, HI, July 9, 2026 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Hawaii and Honolulu Counties is accepting applications for the Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) to address damages from severe storm that occurred March 10, 2026 through March 24, 2026. EFRP provides financial cost-share and technical assistance to restore nonindustrial private forestland (NIPF) damaged by a qualifying natural disaster. EFRP signup began on July 1, 2026, and ends on July 30, 2026.

The Farm Service Agency can help producers and landowners recover from natural disasters that impacted their operation. If you have an immediate need to clean up and restore your operation, please call the Farm Service Agency in your county before beginning any restoration activities in order to determine program eligibility and to request restoration practice approval before taking any action.

EFRP assists forest landowners with completing restoration that is necessary to address damage caused by a natural disaster that, if not treated, would impair natural resources, and affect forest health and the future use of the forestland. EFRP cost-share is reimbursed to the landowner at 75% of the lesser of the actual costs incurred or allowable cost after an approved restoration activity is complete. EFRP has a maximum cost share of $500,000 per natural disaster event. Assistance for EFRP is not provided upfront.

Approved EFRP participants must:

• Complete approved restoration activities according to the forest restoration plan.

• Document and keep records of all costs incurred to complete the restoration activities, including costs associated with personal labor.

EFRP activities include:

• Debris removal, including hazard tree removal

• Woody residue treatment

• Thinning/Pruning

• Fence repair/replacement

• Forest road repair

• Site preparation

• Tree planting

• Erosion control structures

To meet eligibility requirements, NIPF land must have existing tree cover or had tree cover immediately before the natural disaster occurred and be sustainable for growing trees. The land must also be owned or leased by a nonindustrial private individual, group, association, corporation or other private legal entity that has definitive decision-making authority over the land.

Eligibility and Environmental Requirements

Producers with damage from qualifying natural disaster events must apply for EFRP assistance before beginning reconstructive work. FSA's environmental compliance review process is required to be completed before any actions are taken. A waiver can be requested for necessary activities that are taken as emergency action to prevent further loss. Producers who apply after reconstructive work has been completed are at risk of not qualifying for EFRP.

FSA county committees will evaluate applications based on an on-site inspection of the damaged land, taking into consideration the type and extent of the damage. An on-site inspection does not guarantee that cost-share funding will be provided.

More Information

To learn more about EFRP, producers can contact the Hawaii and Honolulu County FSA Offices at the numbers below or visit farmers.gov/protection-recovery.

Hawaii County 808-933-8334 or email [email protected]

Honolulu County 808-861-8538 or email [email protected]

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