Contributions to Protective Forest Restoration

The grant for protective forest restoration and maintenance measures in Vorarlberg supports forest owners in permanently securing and restoring the natural protection of the forests. Funding is provided for targeted maintenance interventions, technical measures, and reforestation activities that improve the protective function against erosion, avalanches, rockfall, or flooding. The program is aimed at private owners, agricultural communities, forest owners' associations, as well as municipalities in the state of Vorarlberg; applications can be submitted at any time on an ongoing basis. Evaluation is conducted by the district forestry inspectorates through documentation, technical plausibility checks, on-site inspections, and spot checks.

Eligible activities include tree maintenance, site-adapted technical safeguards, and reforestation measures. The subsidy rate is up to 90% of the eligible costs, providing significant relief for forest managers. A prerequisite is proven forest ownership in Vorarlberg as well as the implementation of eligible interventions according to relevant guidelines. There is no formal deadline, allowing projects to be planned and implemented flexibly. The funding volume is capped at €0.4 million annually, which aims to ensure the continuation of sustainable protective forest management in the region in the long term. Interested applicants can find detailed requirements in the special guideline for rural development 2014–2020 as well as in the general funding guideline of the state of Vorarlberg.