On April 18, the U.S. Forest Service announced 15 projects receiving $31.1 million through the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program. The projects in eight states—Arkansas, California, Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Washington—fund partnership-based efforts to reduce the risk of severe wildfire, improve forest and watershed health, and support local economies. Two projects in Oregon and one in California received additional funding to continue or expand work already underway; 12 new projects were also funded.

“The selected projects will enhance the work already accomplished through the program. Together, they highlight the widespread support of the work to improve the nation’s natural resources for the benefit of everyone,” said Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. “The infusion of funding augments the work we do with other governments and partners around other important work such as improvements to infrastructure and the 10-year wildfire strategy. The Collaborative Forest Restoration Program is working for all Americans.”

The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program was originally authorized in 2009 under the Public Land Management Act and was refined under the 2018 Farm Bill. Additional funding was provided through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The purpose of the CFLRP is to encourage the collaborative, science-based ecosystem restoration of priority forest landscapes and:

• encourage ecological, economic, and social sustainability;
• leverage local resources with national and private resources;
• facilitate the reduction of wildfire management costs, including through re-establishing natural fire regimes and reducing the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire;
• demonstrate the degree to which various ecological restoration techniques achieve ecological and watershed health objectives; and,
• encourage utilization of forest restoration by-products to offset treatment costs, to benefit local rural economies, to and improve forest health.