USDA announces first projects under 10-year wildfire mitigation plan

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BlogOn April 11, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the Forest Service would invest $131 million in FY 2022 to treat 208,000 acres on 10 landscapes in western states at high risk of wildfire.USDA announces first projects under 10-year wildfire mitigation plan
- U.S. Forest Service to invest $131 million in FY 2022 to treat high-risk firesheds through thinning, controlled burns and reforestation in first steps of 10-year mitigation plan announced in January
- Projects will treat 208,000 acres on 10 landscapes in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington this year with the goal of treating 742,000 acres over 3 years
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Blog
USDA announces first projects under 10-year wildfire mitigation plan
On April 11, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the Forest Service would invest $131 million in FY 2022 to treat 208,000 acres on 10 landscapes in western states at high risk of wildfire. The projects were selected based on the level of wildfire risk and the ability to quickly scale up the proposed projects in the coming years as part of USDA’s initiative to treat 50 million acres of federal and non-federal land over the next ten years under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“The first-year investments are a part of a 10-year strategy to reduce the exposure of communities and infrastructure to the risk of catastrophic wildfire,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. “With each successive year we will plan and implement more, continuing to reduce the risks associated with extreme wildfire for communities in these vulnerable areas.” These investments will take place in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington. Forest management projects on these landscapes may include mechanical thinning, controlled burns and reforestation.
Wildfire season is a year-round issue for public lands counties. Wildfires destroy public lands, endanger access to vital resources, decrease biodiversity, hinder economic opportunity, decimate municipal watersheds, and negatively impact public health and safety. County officials believe federal, state and local governments must work together to combat this growing threat to communities, livelihoods and the environment. Counties support forest health initiatives that include fuels reduction, fuel breaks and managing for diseases and pests, while maintaining the multiple use mandates and utilizing the best available, peer-reviewed science.
On April 11, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the Forest Service would invest $131 million in FY 2022 to treat 208,000 acres on 10 landscapes in western states at high risk of wildfire.2022-04-12Blog2022-04-13
On April 11, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the Forest Service would invest $131 million in FY 2022 to treat 208,000 acres on 10 landscapes in western states at high risk of wildfire. The projects were selected based on the level of wildfire risk and the ability to quickly scale up the proposed projects in the coming years as part of USDA’s initiative to treat 50 million acres of federal and non-federal land over the next ten years under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“The first-year investments are a part of a 10-year strategy to reduce the exposure of communities and infrastructure to the risk of catastrophic wildfire,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. “With each successive year we will plan and implement more, continuing to reduce the risks associated with extreme wildfire for communities in these vulnerable areas.” These investments will take place in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington. Forest management projects on these landscapes may include mechanical thinning, controlled burns and reforestation.
Wildfire season is a year-round issue for public lands counties. Wildfires destroy public lands, endanger access to vital resources, decrease biodiversity, hinder economic opportunity, decimate municipal watersheds, and negatively impact public health and safety. County officials believe federal, state and local governments must work together to combat this growing threat to communities, livelihoods and the environment. Counties support forest health initiatives that include fuels reduction, fuel breaks and managing for diseases and pests, while maintaining the multiple use mandates and utilizing the best available, peer-reviewed science.

About Jonathan Shuffield (Full Bio)
Legislative Director – Public Lands | Western Interstate Region
Jonathan serves as NACo’s legislative director for public lands and liaison to the Western Interstate Region, lobbying Congress on public lands issues including Payments In Lieu of Taxes, Secure Rural Schools, land management and endangered species.More from Jonathan Shuffield
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Policy Brief
Provide Full Mandatory Funding for the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Program
Urge your members of Congress to support mandatory full funding for the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. Because local governments are unable to tax the property values or products derived from federal lands, PILT payments are necessary to support essential local government services. Unless Congress acts, counties will have received their last fully funded PILT disbursement in 2022. Without mandatory full funding, PILT will remain a discretionary program (subject to the annual appropriations process) and could fall back to pre-2008 funding levels, which would devastate local government service delivery in areas with significant federal land ownership. -
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Support Continued Revenue Sharing Payments to National Forest Counties
Urge your members of Congress to enact a long-term legislative solution for continued revenue sharing payments to forest counties through the U.S. Forest Service’s Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program. Congress reauthorized SRS and removed the annual 5 percent funding reduction through FY 2023 in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (P.L. 117-58) enacted on November 15, 2021. Counties rely on SRS payments to provide numerous critical services including infrastructure, conservation projects, search and rescue missions and fire prevention programs. -
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County News
County officials hear from Forest Service, Interior representatives
Intergovernmental partnerships are crucial in public lands management.
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Public Lands Steering Committee
All matters relating to federally-owned public lands including federal land management programs, natural resource revenue sharing payments, payments in lieu of taxes, and property tax immunity concerns.pagepagepage<p>All matters relating to federally-owned public lands including federal land management programs, natural resource revenue sharing payments, payments in lieu of taxes, and property tax immunity concerns.
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Legislative Director – Public Lands | Western Interstate Region(512) 965-7268
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