The U.S. Department of Agriculture is allocating more than $8.1 million to launch five new projects aimed at reducing wildfire risk, enhancing forest health, and supporting timber production under the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership Program. These efforts expand ongoing federal initiatives to strengthen rural communities and safeguard natural resources, according to the USDA.
In addition to the new investments, USDA is contributing $32 million toward 24 continuing projects that span three years each. The new projects include initiatives in Alabama, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, North Carolina, and Oregon. Specific efforts include longleaf pine restoration in Alabama’s Chattahoochee Fall Line, watershed resilience in Oregon’s Hood River area, and forest health improvements in Montana’s Blackfoot River Valley.
The Joint Chiefs’ program, jointly managed by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Forest Service, targets work across public and private lands to maximize landscape-level outcomes. Agency officials emphasized the program’s role in enabling local leadership, collaborative planning, and improved forest productivity through coordinated action.
