This week, the U.S. Forest Service announced a $33.9 million investment toward four local forest conservation projects in Oregon and Washington from a combination of federal dollars through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
“The funds will be used to protect economically and ecologically significant forestlands in the two states,” the announcement stated.
Among local projects set to receive dollars include the Mount Adams Forest. In the first phase of a 6,378-acre conservation project to protect drinking water, critical habitat for fish and wildlife, and “support one of Washington’s last thriving forestry workforces,” according to the announcement.
Kittitas Working Forest Project in Central Washington will receive $5.7 million in Land and Water Conservation Funds for 5,870 acres. The project is meant to protect the Cabin Creek watershed, provide sustainable harvests for the local economy, and preserve a critical habitat corridor for wolves and spotted owls, according to the Forest Service.
In Oregon, the Tualatin Mountain Forest Project will receive $10.25 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding, the Forest Service announced. The funds will establish a working research forest owned by Oregon State University.
“The project will demonstrate the harmonious coexistence of financial productivity, carbon sequestration, healthy watersheds, and diverse plant and wildlife communities,” stated a Forest Service news release.
Northeast Oregon will also see a large chunk of change, with the Minam Conservation & Connectivity Project set to receive $9.29 million in Land and Water Conservation Funds and $460K in Inflation Reduction Act funding. The project is set up to acquire 10,964 acres of working forestland and a corridor along the Minam River in Oregon in order to protect federal Endangered Species Act “threatened” Chinook salmon, steelhead and bull trout. The project is also meant to conserve scenic views on over 2.4 million acres of adjacent public lands, according to the Forest Service.
Dollars from the two funds make up the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “Forest Legacy Program,” which encourages the protection of privately owned forest lands through conservation easements or land purchases.
For more on the program, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/private-land/forest-legacy/program.
To learn more about the Forest Service, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov.
