US Forest Service to Invest $265 Million to Conserve 335,000 Acres of Private Forestlands

On Tuesday, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service announced an investment of more than $265 million to conserve nearly 335,000 acres of ecologically and economically significant forestlands across the nation. Funding is provided by the Inflation Reduction Act.

The Forest Service says it will fund 21 projects in 17 states to conserve working forests that support rural economies. In 2024 alone, the Forest Service has invested nearly $420 million to conserve more than 500,000 acres through the Forest Legacy Program and since 2021 has invested more than $758 million in 123 projects.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said:

“Local communities, and our country as a whole, depend on private forests to provide clean water, habitat, recreation, and jobs. Landowners face many pressures to convert forests to other uses and this investment is key to keeping the economic, social, and ecological benefits that these forests provide.”

Randy Moore, the Forest Service Chief, added:

“Forests provide innumerable benefits to people and communities, and for nearly 35 years the Forest Legacy Program has allowed us to support States and landowners in their efforts to conserve important forestlands. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, we are protecting parcels we never thought we’d have the resources to secure and even more acres of vital forestlands so that future generations of Americans will be able to enjoy all the irreplaceable benefits they provide.”

Projects selected on Tuesday include the following:

• The $8.2 million investment for the Sunfish Creek Project will acquire 3,125 acres of forestland, expanding the adjacent Pike State Forest in Ohio’s scenic Appalachian hills. The project will help expand a national and statewide hiking trail system, support the critical forest industry, and protect waterways and domestic water supply. These increased benefits are expected to produce upward of $2 million annually for Pike County.
• The Pee Dee Basin Initiative is the largest single land conservation project ever undertaken by South Carolina. Thanks to a $50 million investment, the project will consist of a 61,340-acre conservation easement and 880-acre land acquisition, conserving working forests to benefit the local timber economy while also conserving habitat for priority plants and wildlife. This effort will expand a corridor of protected lands that includes a state park, state forest, wildlife management areas, and private lands to protect water resources and increase the resiliency of this landscape.
• Through a conservation easement, the $30 million Stimson Timberland Legacy Project will conserve nearly 88,000 acres of working forests that are key to rural economies, mitigating wildfire risk, sequestering carbon, and providing critical public access in Eastern Washington. The property is in a region facing high development pressure and increasing land values, threatening the long-term viability of its forest industry.
• A $13.5 million investment in the Buffalo Creek Project, a more than 1,200-acre project that includes some of the highest quality aquatic habitat in North Carolina. Alongside an adjacent property, this project creates a nearly 3,000-acre public land asset that will be visible from the Blue Ridge Parkway, the most visited National Park Site in the nation.