Wallowa Whitman National Forest receives nearly $133,000 toward wildfire risk reduction

LA GRANDE – The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that Wallowa Whitman National Forest will receive $132,722 to help fund completion of the Sufferin Springs Project environmental analysis. This is part of the Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program, itself providing roughly $100 million dollars to 21 projects across 18 national forests in 14 states. As the name implies, this is a nation-wide funding effort meant to support national forests, in collaboration with tribes and local communities, in reducing wildfire risk.

The Wallowa Whitman National Forest was one of four areas selected in the Pacific Northwest to receive funding, alongside the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Umpqua National Forest, and Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. A brief description of the Sufferin Springs Project, provided by the U.S. Forest Service, is as follows:

“This $132,722 investment will support critical heritage surveys that will enable completion of the Sufferin Springs Project environmental analysis in the La Grande Ranger District of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Once the environmental analysis is completed, work could begin to restore forest health, reduce wildfire risk to natural resources and communities, and provide economic benefits to the local economy.”

More information on the Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program, as well as other funding recipients, can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/wildfire-crisis/collaborative-wildfire-risk-reduction

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Elkhorn Media Group