FFFPP Family Forest Fish Passage Program

Funding

$5.9 million

Details

Grant Limit

None

Details

Match Requirement

None

Details

Applying for a Family Forest Fish Passage Program grant? Complete the online application.

Small forest landowners own about four million acres of forests in Washington–about half the private forestland in the state. These family forests are home to thousands of miles of fish-bearing streams and play a key role in helping Washington restore its once thriving fish populations. A single barrier on a stream may keep fish from reaching many miles of upstream spawning and rearing habitat.

As part of Washington's salmon recovery efforts, all private forest owners are required to fix artificial, in-stream fish barriers. The state Legislature committed to helping small forest landowners pay for these repairs by creating the Family Forest Fish Passage Program in 2003.

Landowners enrolled in the program will not be required to fix their fish blockages until the State provides financial assistance. Landowners not enrolled in the program must fix the blockage at their own expense and future forest practices applications for logging could be denied until the barrier is corrected.

Have any questions? Contact Sandra Dotts and visit the Department of Natural Resources' Family Forest Fish Passage Program webpage.

Grant Application Schedule

Item Date

Application Due (Submissions accepted year-round)

December 31, 2024 

Project Prioritization, Creation of Funding List

April 15, 2025 

Projects Funded

July 1, 2025 

Grant Award History

Most recent grants and evaluation results, listed by the application year.

Application Resources

Grant Manual

Announcements

A scissor cutting a ribbon

Funding

Funding is awarded every two years and comes from the sale of state bonds.

This grant program also is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The Act supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the Climate Commitment Act is available at www.climate.wa.gov.

Grant Limits

There are no minimum or maximum grant requests in this program.

Match Details

A cost-share is required if a harvest has occurred in the three years before project funding.

Who May Apply?

A small forest landowner: You harvest less than 2 million board feet of timber each year from lands you own in Washington.

The culvert is on forestland and associated with a road: The land is capable of supporting a merchantable stand of timber and is not being used for anything incompatible with growing timber.

The structure is on a fish-bearing stream.

The Process

  1. Landowner submits an application by mail or online. The Department of Natural Resources will determine landowner eligibility.
  2. If eligible, a field technician will contact you to make a site visit to assess the crossing to determine if it is a barrier.
  3. The state team prioritizes the culverts or other barriers with the highest benefit to fish habitat, and fixes the worst first.
  4. The state program assigns a project sponsor to work with the landowner. The sponsor will manage all aspects of the project including engineering, permits, contractors, and accounts. In some cases, landowners may sponsor their own project.

Visit the Washington Department of Natural Resources’ Family Forest Fish Passage Program web page for more details.

Resources