VICTOR, Idaho — South Teton Valley has been selected as one of 14 locations in the U.S. to receive federal funding from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to combat climate risks such as increased wildland fires.
On Feb. 21, the USDA announced that it will invest more than $48.6 million this year through the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership for projects that mitigate wildfire risk, improve water quality, restore forest ecosystems and ultimately contribute to USDA’s efforts to combat climate change.
The Forest Service (an agency of the USDA) is investing $17.4 million of those funds into 14 new projects including one in Teton Valley, Idaho.
The project, “South Teton Valley Hazardous Fuels Removal,” aligns with the Forest Service’s mission to reduce wildlife risk as part of its Wildfire Crisis Strategy.
“The need for cross-boundary wildfire risk reduction work as part of our Wildfire Crisis Strategy is more urgent than ever,” said Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. “These projects, and the $930 million of investments being made across 21 landscapes in highest-risk fire sheds in the western U.S., speak to our commitment to improving forest health and resiliency across the nation’s forests to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.”
“We have long moved beyond wildfire seasons to fire years, with an annual average of 8 million acres burned since 2015; more than 10 million acres burned in three of those years,” Moore said.
The Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership promotes cross-boundary work needed to increase the scale of our wildfire risk reduction efforts to protect people and communities, critical infrastructure, water supplies and ecosystems from extreme wildfire.”
Through the new three-year projects, landowners will work with local USDA experts and partners to apply targeted forestry management practices on their land, such as thinning, hazardous fuel treatments, fire breaks and other systems to meet unique forestry challenges in their area.
Additionally, USDA is investing $31.2 million in 25 existing projects. For full project descriptions and information on completed projects, visit the Joint Chiefs’ webpage.
