State Awards $45 Million for Forest Market Projects

New York's conservation agency funds 44 statewide projects that aim to expand tree seed production, seedling growth and timber processing.

Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Organic Food

Rows of young native tree seedlings in dark soil beds at a forest edge, with rolling autumn hills in the distance. — New York's Department of Environmental Conservation awarded $45 million on November 6 to 44 projects, with two Westchester firms receiving $2,758,009 to expand tree seed and timber capacity. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should New York spend state money to expand tree nurseries and forest businesses?

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced $45 million in grants for 44 projects statewide on November 6. Two Westchester companies, Plan It Wild LLC and PM Excellence LLC, together received $2,758,009 of the funding.

Why it matters

The grants are intended to support the state's forest products sector, which faces significant economic pressures. The funding is aimed at increasing the supply of wood produced in New York and expanding reforestation capacity.

The state's Advancing Forest Markets initiative has awarded $45 million across 44 projects, with projected outputs including more than 5 million native tree seeds and over 1 million locally adapted seedlings within the next year. Whether these projections will be met has not yet been reported.

The players

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

The state agency responsible for managing New York's environmental resources, including forests, and administering the Advancing Forest Markets grant program.

Amanda Lefton

The commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, who announced the grant awards.

The details

Plan It Wild LLC, based in Somers, is receiving $768,099 to support increased production, demand and marketing for tree seed and mini-forests. PM Excellence LLC, based in Tarrytown, is receiving $1,990,000 to expand nursery capacity, workforce capacity and its inventory system for native trees.

November 6, 2026: NYSDEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton announces the statewide grants.
Over the next year: Funded projects are expected to harvest seeds, grow seedlings and process timber.

Culture Shift

The Advancing Forest Markets initiative extends a state-level effort to build a domestic forest products supply chain rather than relying solely on existing timber flows. These grants add concrete reforestation and seedling capacity to that effort.

Residents in Westchester and across New York may see increased native tree and seedling availability for reforestation projects. The projects are expected to deliver nearly 500,000 tree seeds and 310,000 tree seedlings for reforestation work within the next year.

The takeaway

Statewide forest-market funding is being tied to measurable outputs such as seed harvests and seedling counts. Readers interested in reforestation can track whether these projected figures are reported in later updates.