USDA Forest Service invests in two projects to restore state and private forests across the Region

OGDEN, Utah, August 20, 2025— Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service announced it is investing nearly $600 thousand in two projects in the Intermountain Region to restore state and private forestlands. These investments directly support the agency’s efforts to reduce wildfire risk, increase timber production, and expand rural economies, while providing critical support to landowners across management jurisdictions as they work to promote healthy, productive forests that benefit rural communities.  

The investments, totaling $7 million nationwide, are being delivered as competitive grants through the Landscape Scale Restoration program. Of the total funding, $600 thousand will support two projects for federally recognized tribes. 

 “Thriving and resilient forests are vital to the wellbeing of rural communities across the West,” said Acting Intermountain Regional Forester Ben Newburn.  “This investment helps our state partners to combat threats to their forests, restore forest health, and supports crucial watersheds." 

 Projects awarded in the Intermountain Region are:

• Utah–$300,000 will reduce hazardous fuels and improve watershed health, water quality, and wildlife habitat on the Lower Beaver River near Minersville
• Nevada–$299,906 will improve water quality through the removal of invasive species at the Walker River State Recreation Area and sustain rural agricultural production in Mason Valley

Between 2018 and 2024, the Forest Service awarded 359 competitive grants to support projects in 47 states and five territories for a total of $91.2 million dollars in federal funding. 

A complete list of funded projects for Fiscal Year 2025 is available on the Forest Service website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/private-land/landscape-scale-restoration/funded-projects  

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

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