The U.S. Forest Service said it will issue $248 million in Secure Rural Schools payments for 2025 to eligible states and counties with National Forest System lands. The funding will support public schools, local roads, wildfire preparedness and other rural services, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The 2025 payments include Title I, Title III and 1908 Act allocations. The agency said these funds will cover education, transportation infrastructure and community services in rural areas.
The payments will also fund local wildfire readiness work. That includes Firewise Communities programs, reimbursement for county emergency services on national forests, and development of Community Wildfire Protection Plans to improve coordination with Forest Service wildfire response.
The agency said revenue sharing with states and counties linked to national forests dates to 1908. It said 25% of revenue from timber sales, mineral leases, livestock grazing, recreation fees and other sources has been shared, but lower timber revenue by the 1990s reduced those payments and led Congress to pass the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000.
Over the past decade, the Forest Service has distributed $2.4 billion through the Secure Rural Schools program. The agency said the payments are intended to provide more stable funding for local services in counties affected by lower federal forest revenue.
