USDA invests $566 million into Forest Service
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently invested $566 million into national forests, grasslands and water resources.
One investment of $285 million was made to national forests and grassland infrastructure. Funding for these projects was provided by the National Park and Public Land Legacy Fund. The major goal of this project is to improve transportation and recreation.
Over 500 projects will be done using this money including infrastructure updates on recreation facilities and visitor centers. Some upgrades will be made to dams, trails, parking lots, tunnels, bridges and roads. It is expected that the projects will support 4,400 jobs and add $240 million in gross domestic product.
Forest service currently has. 370,000 miles of road, 159,000 miles of trails and 32,000 recreation sites. Maintenance for infrastructure is backlogged costing $5.9 billion.
Forest Service infrastructure sustains more than 148,000 jobs and 300 million recreationists and visitors a year. Wildfire firefighters also use infrastructure like service roads, trail and parking lots. Visitors that use forest service infrastructure contribute $11 million to the U.S. economy.
Nebraska has three projects that are being funded through the infrastructure funding, including one road that crosses between South Dakota and Nebraska, a road in Bessey Ranger District near Halsey. A project has also been identified for a dam and recreation site in congressional district three.
The other $218 million will be funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWC) and will support critical forests and wetlands, increase public access to land and water resources and support economic recovery.
Two project areas will be created by the LWC, the Forest Legacy Program and the Land Acquisition Program.
The Land Acquisition Program will be using $123 million for various projects throughout the U.S. $6.4 million is being used to purchase 8,590 acres for the Lolo Trails Project in Montana to help habitat for bull trout. The Washington Cascades Project will be receiving $3.7 million to acquire 1,550 acres.
The three main highlights of the Forest Legacy Project include protection for 12,500 acres in Georgia’s Ceylon Forest, protecting Maine’s East Grand Weston and continuing the second phase of Kootenai Forestlands Conservation Project.
Nebraska’s Chat Canyon Wildlife Management Area near Valentine is protected through the Forest Legacy project.
Both projects are funded through the 2020 Great American Outdoors act which has authorized funding through 2025. The goal of the Great American Outdoors Act is to make major investments in recreation.”
“These investments reflect President Joe Biden’s commitment to supporting locally-led conservation efforts from coast to coast and to honoring and building on the proud private land stewardship traditions of farmers, ranchers, and forest owners,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to the U.S. Forest Service. “The investments will not only protect our natural heritage, they will also create jobs, expand access to the outdoors, and help tackle climate change.