Good Neighbor Authority
Our forests give us countless benefits: clean drinking water, millions of jobs, recreation opportunities, and more. Keeping these benefits requires forest management--and no one group can do it alone.
Good Neighbor Authority allows the Forest Service to enter into agreements with state forestry agencies to do the critical management work to keep our forests healthy and productive.
Since Good Neighbor Authority was first authorized, the number of projects and participating states has grown. In 2018, Congress expanded authorities for forest management projects related to the Good Neighbor Authority, setting the stage for more growth in cooperative forest management.
Learn more about some of the Good Neighbor Authority projects on the map below, and how state and federal agencies are working to manage forests on a scale never before realized.
News and Announcements
Press Release: USDA Announces Nearly $66M for Conservation Work with States, Tribes, Private Landowners as Part of Investing in America Agenda
Forest Service invests $12M in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for Good Neighbor Authority projects
Coronado National Forest - This project will be implemented with AZ Dept of Forestry and Fire Management. This project will help mitigate wildfire impacts to the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory. The observatory is the largest satellite facility of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, part of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. This remote site is home to a number of telescopes, including the 6.5-meter MMT Observatory as well as the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System. The remaining funding will support implementation of the Middle March Fuel Reduction project.
Eldorado National Forest - The forest and Sierra Nevada Conservancy will conduct forest restoration work in wildfire risk firesheds of the Crystal Basin and bordering areas. Forest health and fuels reduction treatments will be implemented on roughly 25,000 acres of NEPA-ready project footprints. Project work will include mechanical and hand thinning in plantations and mixed-conifer forest, mastication and biomass removal, post-harvest herbicide, aquatic species passage improvements, understory prescribed burning, road maintenance, and construction of strategic fuel breaks.
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest - The Oconee Ranger District will implement a series of timber sales in the Sandy Creek project area with the Georgia Forestry Commission. This project will improve forest health on more than 800 acres of pine stands with significant risk for southern pine beetle infestation predicted to produce 17,000 ccf over the next two fiscal years.
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest - The forest co-manages approximately 311,000 acres of National Forest System lands with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources on thirteen Wildlife Management Areas. The funding will help improve habitat for nongame and game wildlife species. Wildlife openings and feathering their edges will be expanded, which will provide better foraging and cover opportunities for multiple species. Road maintenance will also improve recreational access on roads.
Idaho Panhandle National Forest - The Idaho Department of Lands and the forest will expand forest management capacity to meet the goals of State and Federal Shared Stewardship initiative. These funds will support approximately 3,000 acres of fuels reduction work administered by Idaho Department of Lands such as fuel breaks and vegetation treatments to improve forest health. The funds will also expand road repairs to improve watershed conditions and provide access for wildfire management and implementation of project activities.
Caribou-Targhee National Forest - This project includes approximately 3.2 miles of road decommissioning to improve watershed condition and 13.9 miles of road maintenance for outyear timber sales to support fuels reduction.
Hoosier National Forest - Hoosier National Forest and Indiana Division of Natural Resources are partnering to standardize the rapid assessment tools to be utilized cross-boundary to assist in selection, implementation, and monitoring of restoration work.
Bitterroot National Forest - These forest and the State of Montana will increase planning and implementation capacity for fuel breaks and reduction of fuels adjacent to, and within, energy corridors on the Bitterroot National Forest. Combined with additional resources this effort is anticipated to lead to 9,800 or more acres treated.
Pacific Northwest Region - The Oregon Department of Transportation Engineering will support forest restoration work to complete hazard tree mitigation work along forest roads and State Highways that cross Forest Service lands. This work will improve access and safety on the State Highways.
Pacific Northwest Region - The Washington Department of Natural Resources - Forest Resiliency Division will use these funds to continue work in support of forest restoration on Federal lands by providing NEPA support, implementing commercial timber sales, aquatic improvement projects, maintaining and decommissioning forest roads, and implementing forest restoration projects throughout the State of Washington.
Pacific Northwest Region - The Oregon Dept of Forestry - Federal Forest Restoration Program will continue to support forest restoration on Federal lands by providing NEPA planning support, commercial timber sale implementation, and forest restoration service assistance to forests throughout the State of Oregon.
Rogue River Siskiyou National Forest - This funding will support the forest and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife priority fish passage projects, including the removal of Pomeroy and Parrott Creek dams on the Rogue River Siskiyou National Forest. This project promotes ecological, social and economic opportunities that better connect people and forests with a focus on integrating sustainable forest management practices to conserve and restore Appalachian Forest ecosystems.
Cherokee National Forest - The Cherokee National Forest will work with the State of Tennessee to pursue land management projects on federal lands in partnership with states, counties, and/or federally recognized Indian tribes. These funds will be used to develop and deliver a program of work that supports implementation of the Cherokee National Forest land management plan.
Ashley National Forest - The forest and Utah Department of Natural Resource will complete projects on approximately 4000 acres to support the South Slope cross-boundary project with the Ute Indian Tribe. The project includes fuels reduction, forest health treatments, wildlife habitat enhancement, and protection of infrastructure for public safety though thinning, mastication, chipping, piling and broadcast burning on 26,160 acres. The completion of the archaeological survey is a critical step in hazardous fuels reduction in support regional fuels accomplishments targets.
Fishlake National Forest - The Fishlake National Forest and State of Utah Department of Wildlife Resources will complete mastication and seeding that aim to reduce risk of wildfire and restore forest conditions.
Fishlake National Forest - This multi-year, multi-phase shared stewardship project with the State of Utah Department of Wildlife Resources is intended to reduce fuels, protect values at risk, increase the overall health of the forest, and the protect the safety of local communities. The completion of the mechanical removal of undesired fuels is a critical step in the process of the reduction of hazardous fuels.
Humboldt Toiyabe National Forest - The Sierra & Elko Fronts Restoration Project will be completed with the State of Nevada Division of Forestry. Restoration and fuels treatments will be accomplished on 500 acres through a combination of thinning, piling, prescribed burning or fine fuels/weeds treatment of invasive annuals.
Gifford Pinchot and the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forests - The forests and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will implement two aquatic organism passage projects.
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin Division of Natural Resources - The Wisconsin Division of Natural Resources and the forest are improving resiliency of forested landscapes and transportation systems in a changing climate, connecting riparian habitats, sustaining high-quality cold-water communities, improving habitat for sensitive species, and reducing hazardous fuels.
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest & Thunder Basin National Grassland - In partnership with Wyoming State Forestry fuels and timber projects will be implemented cross-boundary to include fuels reduction, volume removal, habitat improvement, timber stand improvement and other projects.
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest & Thunder Basin National Grassland - In partnership with Colorado State Forest Service fuels and timber projects will be implemented cross-boundary to include fuels reduction, volume removal, habitat improvement, timber stand improvement and other projects.
George Washington Jefferson National Forest - The Appalachian Resiliency Initiative project will bring partners together for the common purpose of sustaining healthy, resilient and connected Appalachian forests, widely recognized as one of the most globally important biodiverse landscapes on earth.
Tonto National Forest - The Greater Payson Hazardous Fuels project falls within the Payson high-risk fireshed and the footprint of the Four Forest Restoration Initiative, which is one of the initial Wildfire Crisis Strategy landscapes. The goal is to restore degraded lands in the Wildland Urban Interface by reducing hazardous fuels, providing critical infrastructure protection, and foster forest and watershed restoration. These funds will be matched with partner funds that are managed by the Arizona Department of Forest and Fire Management and gathered by the Salt River Project.
Kaibab National Forest - The South Zone Grassland Restoration Project is aimed at reducing woody species encroachment in historical grassland areas to improve wildlife habitat, reduce fire risk to rural communities and Grand Canyon National Park. The project falls within the footprint of the Four Forest Restoration Initiative and is one of the initial Wildfire Crisis Strategy landscapes.
Klamath National Forest - Forest-wide Good Neighbor Authority Supplemental Project Agreement with CALFIRE to collaborate on important forest health work, including post-fire recovery across the Klamath National Forest. We currently have a successful collaboration with the Shasta-Trinity Unit of CALFIRE and Shasta Valley Resource Conservation District, for work on the Yreka Craggy project, which will include post-fire restoration work. This forest-wide agreement will maximize our collaborative effort and provide flexibility and opportunities to accomplish shared stewardship goals across the landscape.
San Isabel National Forest - Goals are to reduce hazardous fuels around Blue and Bear Lake Campground area.
White River National Forest – The primary purpose is to reduce fuel loading adjacent to private/county lands providing defensible space to communities and firefighter safety in the Boulder Creek and Frisco Backyard project areas.
White River National Forest - Funds will be used to reduce fuel loading across a landscape affected by mountain pine beetle epidemic. Improve forest resiliency by increasing age class and forest structure diversity at the stand level in the Swan Mountain project area.
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest - Maintenance of timber sale haul roads in Good Neighbor Agreement with the Georgia Forestry Commission.
Hoosier National Forest - Indiana Department of Natural Resources will restore 250-300 acres a year over three years of early successional habitat and wetland resource. This work is to improve early succession habitat while improving watershed condition.
Kisatchie National Forest - Watershed restoration projects, including vegetation management, wildlife habitat improvement, as well as soil and water improvement projects all part of Good Neighbor Authority agreements with three local Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
Hiawatha National Forest - Michigan Department of Natural Resources will conduct cross- boundary stream inventory and assessments of roads, trails, railroads, dams and other types of stream crossings. Work will be conducted within the proclamation boundary and connecting watersheds of the Hiawatha National Forest. Information collected will be used to identify and prioritize future work to improve stream crossing structures.
Hiawatha, Huron-Manistee, Ottawa National Forests - Michigan Department of Natural Resources will complete landline support to improve land ownership boundary monumentation on all three Michigan national forests (Hiawatha, Huron-Manistee, Ottawa). The project will establish boundaries for acres to be treated in upcoming restoration treatments.
Superior National Forest - Project will provide funding to improve ownership boundary monumentation in areas of mutual interests between the Forest Service and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. This effort will support current and future planned forest management activities through Good Neighbor Authority and other partnerships.
Beaver Head- Deer Lodge National Forest - Project to protect the Basin Creek Municipal Watershed by restoring and improving the characteristics of forest composition and structure to help reduce the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire effects. By reducing fuels that could result in severe and extensive wildfire on national forest lands within the municipal watershed, treatments will help maintain a high-quality, long term, water supply for Butte area residents through cooperative efforts with the City of Butte, Montana, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Butte-Silver Bow County.
Cibola National Forest - The Zuni Mountains Forest Restoration project is a critical implementation component of this collaborative and is within one of ten shared stewardship priority landscapes in the state of New Mexico. This project will restore structure, composition and function on critical acres within the Zuni Mountains Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project area.
National forests in North Carolina, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission - Wildlife monitoring, archaeological clearance for wildlife projects, and fisheries habitat improvement using Good Neighbor Agreements.
National forests in the State of Oregon, Oregon Department of Forestry- Funding will support continued growth in capacity for Oregon Department of Forestry to accelerate forest management and hazardous fuels reduction work on multiple national forests in Oregon including the Central Oregon priority landscape in support of the national wildfire crisis strategy. Specific projects include timber presale and contract administration support as well as NEPA support for outyear projects.
National forests in the State of Oregon, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife – Funding will support enhanced capacity to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for projects on multiple national forests in Oregon. Project activities include meadow thinning, riparian restoration, juniper removal, invasive weed treatments, road/trail closures, and monitoring and heritage surveys.
National forests in the State of Oregon, Oregon Department of Transportation - This funding will initiate a new Good Neighbor Agreement with the Oregon Department of Transportation. Projects will include hazard tree mitigation, Aquatic Organism Passage culvert repair and replacement, rock pit development, storm proofing existing infrastructure and road sign replacements.
Black Hills National Forest - This funding will support a state forester who can assist with timber sale preparation, as well as resource surveys for upcoming projects. Additionally, it will enable the State of South Dakota to facilitate access to hard-to-reach Forest Service parcels that need vegetation treatment.
Cherokee National Forest - Maintenance of timber sale haul roads in Good Neighbor Agreement with the Tennessee Division of Forestry.
George Washington-Jefferson National Forest - Increase capacity to prepare timber sales in a Good Neighbor Agreement with Virginia Department of Forestry.
National forests in the State of Washington, Washington Department of Natural Resources - Funding will support continued growth in capacity for the Washington Department of Natural Resources to accelerate forest management and hazardous fuels reduction work on multiple national forests in Washington including the Central Washington Initiative wildfire crisis strategy landscape. Specific projects include timber presale and contract administration support, engineering support, NEPA services, and hazardous fuel reduction projects.
National forests in the State of Washington, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife - Funding will support enhanced capacity to the Washington Department of Natural Resources for projects on multiple national forests in Washington including the Central Washington Initiative priority landscape. Project activities will include wildlife habitat improvement, riparian restoration and aquatic restoration projects.
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in partnership with local county highway departments will complete culvert replacements on four priority National Forest System Road crossings. This work will provide flood resilience, fish passable stream crossings, as well as continued access.
Bighorn National Forest – The project will fund a Wyoming State Forestry Department seasonal forester position to provide the Forest Service assistance from the State of Wyoming. The State of Wyoming will provide forestry personnel to assist with the pre-National Environmental Policy Act silviculture work, implementation of timber sales, and implementation of timber stand improvement activities.
Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest - The primary purpose of the Sandstone North project is to reduce hazardous fuels around private property and along Hwy 70, which is a major wildfire suppression fuel break in the Sierra Madre Range. This project also serves to enhance the aspen stands and associated wildlife habitat in the area.
Projects Map Viewer
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