The USDA Forest Service announced on August 29 that it was directing $16.2 million in funding for the Landscape Scale Restoration program. The funding will support a total of 64 forest management projects on state and federal lands and will, for the first time, also fund projects on tribal lands. The landscape scale efforts will include projects to reduce wildfire risk across the West, restore longleaf pine in the Southeast, and combat invasive species and restoring water quality in the Northeast and Midwest.

“The Landscape Scale Restoration program is an important way we work with communities across all lands,” said Forest Service Deputy Chief for State, Private, and Tribal Forestry Jaelith Hall-Rivera. “This year, the Landscape Scale Restoration program is directly supporting Tribes to improve health and resilience of tribal lands. Making this program directly available to Tribes to restore tribal trust lands is an important step in honoring our commitment to strengthening our nation-to-nation relationships.”