Acer Access and Development Program (Acer)

The Acer Access and Development Program (Acer) offers grants to support the efforts of States, tribal governments, and research institutions to promote the domestic maple syrup industry. Supported activities include: promotion of research and education related to maple syrup production; promotion of natural resource sustainability in the maple syrup industry; or to voluntarily make the land available, including by lease or other means, for access by the public for maple-sugaring activities.

Eligible applicants are State agencies, tribal governments, and research institutions from the 50 States, American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Natural resources are vulnerable to climate change. One aspect of this program is the promotion of natural resource sustainability in the maple syrup industry. So this program can be used to support research on how climate change will affect the maple syrup industry and then support educational outreach of these findings.