09/11/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/11/2024 11:58
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that $9.4 million is coming to Oregon to reduce wildfire threats in high-risk areas across the state.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is directly investing $9,422,722 in three of Oregon's national forests to treat areas of high wildfire risk where forests and grasslands meet homes and communities. This funding is part of the USDA Forest Service's (USFS) Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program, which enables national forests - in collaboration with Tribes, communities, and partners - to reduce wildfire risk for communities, critical infrastructure, and natural resources.
Additionally, $345,000 is heading to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in Washington state for its Tribal Co-Stewardship and Traditional Ecological Knowledge Project. This project is expected to benefit Oregon as well, through fostering co-stewardship of fire-adapted ecosystems that have been home to Indigenous peoples since time immemorial.
"Oregonians know all too well the threat of climate chaos, which is fueling increasingly frequent and severe wildfires that threaten our homes, businesses, and way of life," said Merkley, who serves as chair of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the Forest Service. "This critical investment by the Forest Service will reduce wildfire risk and improve forest resiliency in Oregon and across America. I will keep working to ensure the federal government does its part to protect our lands from the threat of catastrophic wildfires and provide greater resources to wildland firefighters."
"With a record amount of acreage in Oregon already burned this year by wildfires, this fresh federal investment to reduce the risk of future blazes is welcome news," said Wyden. "Protecting lives and property from these destructive wildfires demands an all-out approach, and these federal funds from the Inflation Reduction Act that I worked to pass provide an essential and proactive piece of that approach. I'll keep battling for similar resources that focus just as smartly and tightly on wildfires throughout Oregon."
These federal funds support new and expanded efforts under the Forest Service's Wildfire Crisis Strategy to invest $100 million across 14 states and 21 projects, thanks to the landmark Inflation Reduction Act. Information about the Oregon-based projects can be found below:
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