USDA announced expanded efforts to reduce wildfire risk by broadening mitigation efforts to include 11 additional landscapes in at-risk communities throughout the West.
The addition comes on top of the 10 original landscapes announced by the U.S. Forest Service in January 2022.
“It is no longer a matter of if a wildfire will threaten many western communities in these landscapes, it is a matter of when,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. “The need to invest more and to move quickly is apparent.”
Vilsack said an additional $490 million will be invested to restore national forests, including the restoration of resilient old-growth forest conditions. According to the press release, the landscapes were selected based on the potential for wildfire to affect nearby communities and buildings, critical infrastructure, public water sources and Tribal lands.
