Joint Landscape Restoration Partnership Launched

On February 6, USDA and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) announced $30 million in FY14 funding will be directed to projects across key watersheds in the United States, with $16.5 million from the Natural Resource Conservation Service, $8.7 million from the USFS earmarked for National Forest System land, and $5.2 million from USFS designated for technical assistance to private landowners to enable this new partnership to help manage wildfire threats, protect water resources and water quality, and preserve forest and grassland ecosystems for at-risk species.

Of the 13 initially announced projects , technical and financial assistance will be focused on areas where public and private lands often have boundaries that prevent effective regional coordination. Projects include erosion prevention to mitigate erosion and flooding of key drinking reservoirs; reduction of forest fuels for potential wildfires; and improved fire suppression infrastructure, such as water tanks and ingress/egress routes for at risk areas. By pairing with private and state partners and leveraging existing resources, USDA and USFS hope to show high value for this new program and to ensure Congressional appropriations of $30 million per year in future years.