USDA Announces $8 Million in Forest Health and Resilience Projects

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced an investment of more than $8 million for five new projects aimed at reducing wildfire risk, protecting water quality, and improving forest health nationwide.

The funding comes through the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership Program, a collaboration between USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Forest Service that supports landscape-scale work across public and private lands. The $8 million in new projects adds to $32 million already committed to 24 ongoing three-year Joint Chiefs’ projects.

The new projects include:

• Alabama: National Forest in Alabama, “Alabama Chattahoochee Fall Line Restoring Longleaf”
• Colorado and Wyoming: Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, “Headwaters of the Colorado”
• Montana: Lolo National Forest, “Blackfoot River Valley Landscape Mosaic”
• North Carolina: National Forests in North Carolina, “Uwharries to Sandhills, Phase 2”
• Oregon: Mt. Hood National Forest, “Hood River Wildfire and Watershed Resilience”

Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said:

“Wildfires have no boundaries, and neither should our prevention work. We need everyone at the table to deliver the kind of active management that will return our forests to health and productivity. Joint Chiefs’ puts local leaders in the driver’s seat, enabling cross-boundary work based on shared priorities with states, partners, industry, and forest landowners. It’s a win-win.”

NRCS Chief Aubrey J.D. Bettencourt added:

“With the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership, NRCS is implementing our Farmer-First mission with our nation’s foresters. Providing technical and financial assistance to private forest landowners is key to supporting locally led conservation, especially in the wildland-urban interface. This allows us to address multiple challenges in one project, such as reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire, protecting clean water, and improving wildlife habitat.”