USDA Invests in Forest Management Projects to Mitigate Risks, Combat Climate Change - Apply Now
Joint Chiefs' Landscape Restoration Partnership project opportunity announced for the Elkhorn Cooperative Management Area in Broadwater, Jefferson, and Lewis and Clark counties.
Bozeman, Montana, Feb. 28, 2022 – USDA’s Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Montana were awarded one new Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership project this year. The total USDA investment of more than $48.6 million supports projects nationwide that mitigate wildfire risk, improve water quality, restore forest ecosystems, and ultimately contribute to USDA’s efforts to combat climate change.
Private forest landowners located within the priority area for the three-year Elkhorn Cooperative Management Area project can apply for technical and financial assistance. While NRCS accepts applications for all programs year-round, landowners should apply by March 31, 2023, to be eligible for the current round of funding. Interested landowners can contact their local NRCS office for more information and to apply.
• Broadwater County: 406-266-3146
• Jefferson County: 406-287-3215
• Lewis and Clark County: 406-449-5000
“NRCS is excited to collaborate with the Forest Service and the many other partners that have helped to develop these projects and will be working with us to implement them,” said Tom Watson, NRCS State Conservationist for Montana. “Enhanced forest resiliency and reduction of wildfire threats benefits us all by protecting our communities, critical infrastructure, and evacuation routes for residents and responders.”
Improvements will be made on 6,270 acres of private land and 13,500 acres of Forest Service lands within southwest Montana’s Elkhorn Cooperative Management Area. High priority treatment areas for this project include a municipal watershed and numerous communities and residential developments in the wildland urban interface, which lie within high and extreme fire risk areas. Management activities on the unit will span several forest types and will include the reduction of conifer colonization in grasslands and shrublands that will increase habitat diversity for additional wildlife species, improve the resilience of the local landscape and benefit local communities. Meadow and shrubland restoration and the reintroduction of fire will improve high-quality wildlife habitat into the future and restore grasslands to more historic conditions.
Visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/montana and click on Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Projects – Montana under State Programs and Initiatives for more information. Agricultural producers and forest managers interested in participating in Joint Chiefs’ or other USDA conservation programs should contact their local USDA Service Center.