Funding boosts national forests’ efforts to tackle wildfire crisis
TL/DR –
Two national forests in Montana are set to receive over $8 million to combat the wildfire crisis. The funds will be used to protect communities and lands from future wildfires, restore health to landscapes carrying hazardous fuels, support wildfire risk reduction projects, and reduce the amount of dead and dying trees caused by pine beetle outbreaks. The funding comes from the hazardous fuels funds from the Inflation Reduction Act.
Montana National Forests to Get $8 Million to Tackle Wildfire Crisis
Montana’s Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest and Custer-Gallatin National Forest are set to receive over $8 million for enhanced wildfire management efforts. According to Kathy Bushnell, Helena District Ranger for the U.S. Forest Service, the funds aim to ensure people’s safety, minimize future wildfire impacts, and restore landscape health due to hazardous fuel build-up.
Project Allocation and Funding
The funds will be utilized for the Bozeman Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Project and the West Zone Heavy Fuels Project. The Inflation Reduction Act’s hazardous fuels funds are the source of this financial support.
Boosting Wildfire Risk Management
The Custer-Gallatin National Forest will use the new funds to extend previous restoration work in high-risk wildfire areas. This includes zones where national forests and grasslands intersect with residential communities, known as the Wildland-Urban Interface.
Reducing Hazardous Fuels
For the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, the funds will help reduce the dead and dying trees caused by pine beetle outbreaks, which contribute to above-average hazardous fuels. $3.3 million of the funding will be deployed in the Helena and Lincoln districts for machinery and prescribed burning.
Targeting Key Water Sources
The fund will also target the Ten Mile Watershed, a crucial water source for many, due to its hazardous fuel concentrations and critical role as a municipal watershed. Bushnell emphasized the importance of minimizing risks to communities should a wildfire occur.
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